THE NETWORKER

THE NETWORKER Sincerity is Key by Bob Arnold

THE IN BOX Cold-Calling Chill Cure by Steve Rak

I love to see people network! Not only do they look like they are enjoying getting to know someone new, but they are learning new things about their new friend.

One main key that opens doors to making effective networking partners is sincerity. The Oxford Dictionary has a really neat definition for sincerity: “the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.”

I think the neatest thing about sincerity is that it resides in your heart, and it flows out from there. It resides with truth as a cornerstone and does not harbor any pretenses. When this happens during a conversation, your new friend feels at ease and all your networking anxieties disappear.

Your sincerity is where you will find your genuineness and when you do, you become authentic and people notice. Authenticity cannot be manufactured; it grows starting with sincerity. Authenticity will cement you as a genuine person in their mind.

Is it scary being sincere? It can be. However, I have seen it produce way more good than bad. You have spent a lot of time establishing your beliefs, expanding your knowledge, and building your career, so why not talk about them with new people?

Sincerity is a fantastic ice breaker. Ever seen someone standing alone with a scared face? Yep, they have a lot of anxiety going on inside. I usually go up to them and comment, “Pretty scary in here, don’t ya think?”

They will usually laugh rather than answer directly and honestly. So, I follow up with, “Is there someone here I can introduce you to?”

They usually laugh, look at me, and say, “Yeah, how about starting with you?”

This just opened the door for a sincere relationship to start.

If they do point out someone else, I follow up with, “I can introduce you, but I need to know who I’m talking with and a little about what you’re looking for, so I can introduce you properly.”

This usually generates a good conversation that ends with an introduction.

Next time you network, resolve to start with sincerity and watch where it gets you.

Bob Arnold is the founder of ONward Networking and the international best-selling author of “The Uncanny Power of the Networking Pencil,” which can be purchased at https://amzn.to/2KSy3Xm More networking tips are available at “Bob’s Pencil Points” blog at http://onwardnetworking.com/ or by contacting Arnold at TheNetworkingPencil@gmail.com It is March and the weather is bouncing between warm and cold, so let us talk about cold calling and how to do it best. Cold calling is a method of sales that requires one to go from business to business and ask people to buy the service or product one is selling.

If you are thinking that you would rather be dropped into a vat of boiling lava rather than go on cold calls, you are not alone. However, there are ways to alleviate the cold calling jitters before taking the plunge.

Here are a few tips to make cold calling easier: 1. Be confident. This is not as hard as it seems. Since I have done my fair share of cold calling over the years, I have realized that the best approach is to walk into a facility with a lot of energy, smile and be as nice as possible. The best approach is to just own it, be sincere and move on. 2. Do not waste people’s time. Please, do not waste people’s time, they hate that. Get in, give them your card and information, and leave. If they seem like they are not annoyed that you interrupted their doughnut session, then ask them for the card of the person you are leaving the information for. Then get out, and move on. 3. Know your stuff. It would be a shame if you actually got to talk to the buyer and fumbled your way through a presentation. Sometimes, you actually get to talk to the person you are there to see. If you do, make sure you are well versed in what you are selling and can provide further information other than what is on the literature you are distributing. Be sure that you can speak their language, otherwise there is a circular bin just waiting for your literature to be thrown in before the door even closes behind you.

Over the years, I have learned that cold calling is a good way to get new business if you can navigate the scary thoughts that go along with it.

Give it a shot, it is really not that bad.

Medina resident Steve Rak is an award-winning columnist and has spoken at numerous venues throughout the United States and Canada as the owner of Rak Consulting, http://www.rakconsultingllc.com/, and Southwest Landscape Management, http://www.sw-landscape.com/ E-mail questions or suggestions for future column topics to Joy@BlakeHousePublishing.com with “In Box” in the subject line.