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    Networking Advice
     by Anne Smith, Special to the Free Press
    The London Free Press
    Wednesday, March 25, 1998

    Here are Donna Messer's top 10
    networking rules:

    1. Develop a plan - Know what you want to accomplish and who you want to meet.
    2. Research the people you hope to contact.
    3. Be prepared to listen - don't dominate the conversation. Help find what the prospect needs.
    4. Force yourself to circulate - ask everyone you meet what they do, where they've been and who they know.
    5. Ask for only one thing at a time.
    6. Never ask directly for a job. Networking provides a forum for people to seek advice, not jobs.
    7. Be willing to give as well as receive. You have to be willing to help others if you want them to help you.
    8. Take notes - use the back of their business card.
    9. Keep files on all your network contacts.
    10. Follow up on leads. People are gratified to know they helped.

    Messer on special events:

    • Arrive on time, locate amenities such as food, bar and washrooms.
    • Stand tall and at the entrance greet people.
    • Always reintroduce yourself to people you know first, they may be talking to people you want to meet.
    • Approach the singles or people in groups of three or more, don't intrude on twosomes.
    • Meet as many people as possible, spend no more than 10 minutes per person.
    • Wear your identification on the upper right side so your name is visible when you shake hands.

 

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