Business Networking & Sex – Not What You Think! 

By Gail Stolzenburg

When I was growing up, most women were homemakers and when they did get a job it was as a teacher, a secretary, or a nurse but seldom in sales.  Today, the workforce is divided almost evenly and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 12% of women in the workforce are in sales as compared to 11% of men in the workforce.  With such a level playing field, one might think that neither sex is more successful at networking but that is not the case.  As it turns out, women are! 

At a recent networking event, I observed men and women doing and saying things differently.  A man crushed a woman’s hand, bragged about his business, and asked about doing business together, although they had just met.  The woman asked what he liked about his business, if he had a family, who did he want to meet, and where else did he network.

That story pinpoints the major difference between the sexes:  Men are transactional and women are relational.  I know this is changing but it’s moving much too slowly.  Here is what I’ve learned over the years:

Women want to discuss problems                              Men want to solve problems               

Women are comfortable expressing their feelings        Men see feelings as a is sign of weakness

Women like to talk about issues                                    Men like to get to the source of the problem

Women build relationships                                                             Men demonstrate expertise

Women are better at sharing a dialogue                        Men are better at delivering a monologue

Women like to connect                                                     Men like to compartmentalize

Women want to immerse you in their world                Men want to give you just the bullet points      

 

This information is based on a survey that was conducted over a four year period of 12,000 business men and women (approx. 50/50 split) who were asked simple questions about business networking and sex.  The study is explained in “Business Networking & Sex, Not What You Think” by Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI and coauthor of “Networking like a Pro” with Brian Hilliard.

For more information on the differences between the sexes and networking, one can gain insight from reading “Selling in a Skirt” by Judy Hoberman and “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” by Dr. John Gray.  I was on stage with John Gray last year.  My wife makes me correct that.  Actually I was in the audience and John Gray selected me to be one of his examples.  John Gray says, “Understanding the opposite sex in a new and positive light is the key to building lasting business relationships for increased success!”

Men can increase their success in networking with women by focusing on relationship building, dressing to please the female audience, and understanding that women are attending networking events to gain business not dates.  Treat them professionally.  Don’t hit on them!

Women can increase their success in networking with men by dressing professionally rather than wearing something that is more suitable for a date, treating networking as a business rather than as a hobby, and being more direct in asking to set an appointment to meet and discuss how they might benefit each other’s business needs.  

Stay tuned for next month’s column on the subject of Social Media Networking.

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Gail Stolzenburg, the Connector, can be contacted by email at Gail@GailStolzenburg.com, by phone at 281-493-1955, or visit his website at www.GailStolzenburg.com.

The Secret is the System

Part 1 of a 2 Part Series

By Howard Partridge

In last month’s column, I talked about “GPS” – getting you from where you are in your business to where you want to go.  GPS stands for Goals (where you’re going), Plans (how you’ll get there), and Systems (the vehicles that will take you there). 

Your business is a vehicle.  If you have more than one business, you have more than one vehicle.  A vehicle is a system or a set of systems. 

My good friend Michael Gerber, the world’s #1 small business expert according to Inc. Magazine, says “the secret is the system”.  He recognized that all phenomenally successful businesses have effective systems. 

If you have staff, you are probably familiar with the story of “Somebody, Everybody, and Nobody”:

Somebody was asked to do something that was the job of Everybody.  Everybody thought that Somebody was going to do it but Nobody did it.  When Nobody did it, Everybody asked why Somebody didn’t do it.  Somebody said it was the job of Everybody.  Everybody said it was Nobody’s job, therefore, Nobody did it.

Can you relate to this story?  Even if you don’t have staff, systems are critical to your business.  Here’s why -

• • The key to profitable growth

Have you ever seen companies that grow quickly only to discover that more money is going out than is coming in?  The bigger you get without systems, the more money is going out the door in reinventing every day.

• • Employees perform better

When your employees don’t have to depend on you to direct their every move because they have a system to work in, their performance increases.

• • Fewer surprises

Have you noticed that human beings do weird things?  The stuff people come up with sometimes is mind-boggling.  Like the time one of my clients had an employee who wrecked a company truck.  Instead of calling the owner and letting him know, he hid the truck behind his house and didn’t show up for work the next day.  Of course my client didn’t have systems in place then.  Now he does.  Don’t leave it to your employees to try and figure out the best thing to do.  Have a system.

• • Keeps the owner in line

I don’t know about you but I like to change things, update them, and try something new from time to time (okay, okay, maybe a little more often than that!).  As the owner, you may like to tinker with the system or decide which part of the system you feel like using that day.  You must be the example and follow the procedures yourself if you want your staff to follow them.

Many years ago in my service business, I went out to do an on-site presentation for a prospective client.  I assumed that the client wouldn’t buy and did not write up a proposal.  Instead, I just quoted a verbal price and left.  Sometime later, the prospect called to have the work done.  My salesperson looked high and low for the paperwork and finally in frustration asked the prospect if she was absolutely sure that our company was indeed the one that did the presentation. 

“Oh yes,” she said.  “A man drove up in a Lexus, looked around, and told me how much it would be!”  Of course my sales agent knew exactly who she was talking about—me, the owner; the one who decided not to follow the system that day! And of course there’s another lesson there too; don’t judge a prospect; do the proposal!

If you like to change things around and you have a team, they will be confused if you don’t inform them beforehand.  In addition, customers may also become confused.  When you change something, be sure to communicate it and update the system.

• • A consistent service experience

When you have a system, the customer knows exactly what to expect. McDonald’s is the “poster child” for systems because you get the same hamburger in Tokyo as you do in Paducah, Kentucky.  It may not be the best hamburger, but it’s the same hamburger.  It’s consistent because they have a system.

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Howard Partridge, President of Phenomenal Products, Inc., is the author of 7 Secrets of a Phenomenal L.I.F.E. and 5 Secrets of a Phenomenal Business.  You can contact Howard by phone at 281-634-0404 or visit his website at www.HowardPartridge.com.

Making an Expo “Work!”

September greetings everyone!

I have always loved the month of September.

Growing up in Upstate New York, September signaled the end of summer (quite literally).  There was a crispness in the air in the morning.  The trees would start turning their magnificent array of colors and the sounds and smells in the air were quite different than the months prior.

Obviously, living in Houston, Texas, September is more like an extension of August, with the exception of the anticipation of the fall home & garden shows, craft shows, and (of course) business conferences and expos.

Several noteworthy conferences for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in September and October are the Houston Minority Supplier Development Council’s Business Expo 2014 ( www.hmsdc.org), September 24th & 25th, the Transportation Diversity Council’s 1st Annual Southwest Transportation & Infrastructure Summit ( www.tdc-ntl.org ), October 10, 2014, and the Houston Small Business Expo (www.HoustonSmallBusinessExpo.com), October 11^th.  Small Business Today Magazine is indeed proud to be a media sponsor of all three of these events.

Whether you are an attendee or exhibitor at one of these or other business conferences this year, I don’t have to tell you that these conference and expos are huge investments for everyone (often requiring travel/lodging expenses, man hours, exhibit costs, promotional costs, etc., not to mention the price of attending the conference.  They can be a huge waste of time and money or be a major catalyst to growing your business; it just depends on what your purpose of being there is and your goals for the conference.  I am a veteran of hundreds of these both as an exhibitor and as an attendee.

Here is a list of some things that will make your attendance more profitable:

1.      Set your goal as to what you would ideally like to accomplish.

2.      Your pre-conference preparation will play a major role in your ability to reach those goals that you want to achieve while you are there.

3.      Connect through social media with those individuals who you are counting on meeting there.  Possibly arrange a pre- or post- meeting appointment.

4.      Take the time to visit with all the exhibitors.  Each are experts in their phase of your business and may have the answers to your immediate  needs and/or be an excellent source of referrals.

5.      “Be on a mission” while you are there.  Take advantage of every opportunity to connect with everyone.  You never know who may be in a position to aid your businesses growth into the coming year!

6.      For exhibitors, engage as many attendees in conversation as possible. Look and act like you are there to do business.

Conferences and expos can be an amazing source of business if you are committed to making them so!

If you are attending HMSDC’s Business Expo 2014, please come by our booths 525 and 624 and drop your business card in the bowl for a chance to win a $2,200 multi-media package.  We’d love to chat with you and you might also get to meet this month’s Cover Honoree, Martha Ceballos with ELP Enterprises Inc.  Martha is one of the recipients of HMSDC’s “Emerging 10” awards and is on this month’s cover with that award.

It is time to let you get started on this very special issue.

Good Reading, Good Sales, and Great Success to You,

Steve Levine

President & Executive Publisher

sbtmagazine.net