Welcome to Taking Control Communications is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

If you never Network your glass will be empty.

Network occasionally and your glass may be half full

If Networking is a way of life you’ll need many glasses.

Whether you are employed, between jobs, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 plus, or returning to the work force after children, networking is a critical tool for success.

It’s also critical if you are starting or maintaining a micro business, whether you chose face-to-face networking or via the web.

Here are a few reasons why you might like to actively network.

• You want a promotion
• You would like a salary raise or an improved package
• Searching for a new Job offer
• Want to reinvent your career.
• You would like to find additional contracts
• You want people to have a look at your website
• You would like to arrange a meeting with potential clients.

There are a host of other reasons.

Most career opportunities happen while meeting people, whether it’s at business, social or even as a speaker at Rotary, Lions, or other like groups.

Because of a 20 minute speech at a Rotary Club my company, Taking Control Communications, gained a $350,000 communication contract that lasted 18 months.

At a dinner party, a CEO from aged care organisation said, “Please give me a ring on Monday I think I need your services”.

That dinner party started a 10 year contract, which generated significant revenue.

They weren’t flukes.

From those contracts, my mini company of one, me, earned hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of business.

No, I’m not a great salesman, but did learn how to network when to produce a business card.

Asking questions, listening to answers, waiting to be asked what you do and crafting your answers truthfully are the keys.

If you are not networking, then you are not serious about your career, whether it’s as a “tradie”, as a professional, as an independent service provider or if you want to be an internet business giant.

Networking is also an essential if you are out of work.

Many people, however, live in fear of networking. Why?

The most common reason is, “I’m too shy … I couldn’t just walk up to a stranger and start talking to him or her.”

The real answer is they are afraid because they don’t know how to network. They don’t  use a successful process.

Networking isn’t a complicated science.  It’s not a science at all; it’s a very simple process.

The first step is to do research, particularly where and who want to network.

Try not to network the room.

Restrict your networking to a few critical people.  Discover what problems they or their organisation have.

Read the business sections of newspapers, go to business breakfasts, conferences and use the most valuable tool all, websites.

Now you can spend a pile of money or next to nothing  but your time to network.

But whatever you spend, dollars or time, you need to know how.

Remember it’s easy when you know how.

A professional head hunter told me this story.

A few years ago, President Bill Clinton was in town. His hosts held an exclusive business lunch, where 50 high flyers attended at $500 a head, except for nine of Australia’s leading CEOs.

Nine seats were available at the President’s table at $1200 dollars each. The lunch would last for two hours – cost $600 per hour.

John, the head hunter, decided he would pay the $1200 to sit on President Clinton’s table.

Now, John wasn’t their just to listen and talk with Mr Clinton. He was there to connect with one of the CEOs he knew was going to be on that table.

John was head hunting for an international corporate client who want a particular CEO to defect to his company.

He connected with the CEO and earned a handsome $100,000 fee when his target joined his client’s firm. A $1200 investment gave a $100,000 return.

What John did was called Strategic Networking.

Now I’m not suggesting you to have to spend $1200 to network, although a conference could cost that, with travel and accommodation included.

There are plenty of free, $50 to $75 local functions you can attend.

After the preliminary niceties, ask your target a question or two and then listen to what they have to say.  People love to talk about themselves and their organisation.  These are two topics they know best.

Eventually, they’ll ask you a question or two.

The third step is to answer the questions concisely, with an engaging statement.

The statement should provoke the question. “How do you do that?’

Now you have made a good start.

The first 15 seconds and the next five minutes are critical. If your target wants to move on in just over five minutes, then he or she is not interested in you or business.

So have a concise statement about what you do and how you help people, and businesses, particularly their businesses, profession or industry.

In the Networking business that engaging statement is called an Elevator Statement

With a little help you can construct or modify your prepared statement to match their needs while you listen to them.

Now why are the first 15 seconds so critical?

Because in those few seconds a person decides, subconsciously, if they ‘like’ you.  Those few seconds are known as the ‘likeability’ seconds.

Sub-consciously, they’ll assess how you look, your smile, and your tidiness, how clean your shoes are, and even how you smell!

In the next five minutes, you can build on that likeability factor, eventually moving onto to the credibility and initial trust factors.

In career and business networking your goal is to be able to place your hand on the door handle of the person you have connected with so that you can have further discussions about meeting their needs.

In the case of the Rotary speech the contact took five weeks to come back with a contract that lasted two years. From the networking encounter I gained permission to arrange a meeting to expand my Elevator Statement further engage and form a business relationship with the potential client.

In the next edition Career Renovators Express (CREX) I’ll deal with how to create that winning Elevator Statement after you ask a few questions and do some empathic listening

so you can create a’door handle’ that opens doors for you.

 Persistent and Consistent Networking

The “take-home” in this Career Renovators Express is that you need to network persistently and consistently.

At the very least you probably need to network once or twice a month if you have an established career.

If you are really serious you might have to start networking every week until you establish your renovated career.

My general rule is that you can subtlety network anywhere, any time – on a plane, at a social function, at work and even at sporting function. You never know when an opportunity presents itself.

Christian Peterson

Career Networking 1 – First 5 minutes is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

In Networking 1, the First Five Minutes, I mentioned Elevator Statements (EVs) and how they are critical to successful networking.

So what’s an Elevator Statement?

Here’s what they aren’t.

EV’s aren’t speeches or pitches.

I have an absolute aversion to the word pitch. Whenever a person pitches to me I know they want something, usually to sell me something.

It’s usually not about my needs, it’s about my money.

EV’s don’t produce instant careers, or instant anything.  They might induce you to by a raffle ticket for a charity, but that’s about all.

However an EV can produce an opportunity to develop or renovate your career or produce some business opportunities.

The only purpose of an EV is to start a conversation and gain permission to continue that conversation.

During that conversation you can build initial credibility, become liked, which can lead to trust and further down the track a relationship, a personal one like a date, or friendship or a business relationship.

If you are smart, you’ll first discover a lot about the person you are chatting with.

You can achieve this by just asking non-intrusive questions and then really listening to their answers.

During that conversation you will be able to discover what they do for a living, whether they a single, and even if they work for themselves, a corporation, have their own business or whether they are in-between jobs.

You’ll also discover whether that person is a genuine prospect, who might want the solution you have to enhance their organisation or themselves.

If they’re not a genuine prospect just enjoy their company or politely move on.

If you’re still asking them questions and listening, in no time they’ll generally ask you “What you do?”.

This is the opportunity for you to use an Elevator Statement, which must be a truthful statement not one you make up to scam them to get their business.

After your EV, they might show a little more interest and ask you, “How do you do  that?”

If they are really interested they will ask you more questions and for your business or personal card. You might then ask if they would like more information.

You can point them to your website or find out if they would like a further chat. If so, ask for their business card or ask permission to ring their assistant for a suitable time for an appointment to discuss the person’s needs and possible solutions .

Being able to place your hand on their office door handle is a fantastic outcome of your elevator statement and your networking skills.

Networking can be learnt and Elevator Statements can be crafted easily and quickly.

Everything is easier when you know how.

Usually your statement should be an average of 35 to 45 words long.

The average person speaks at about three words a second, which gives you a maximum of 15 seconds to deliver your EV.

The aim of the statement is to elicit a question from the other person – “How do you do that?”.

This gives you permission to engage the person a little more.

You might remember the aged care CEO, Winston, at the dinner party, who award my company a significant contract to manage a crisis at his organisation.

A few weeks before the dinner party, at sunny afternoon Sunday barbeque, we first met.  We spent some time talking about our football teams, Melbourne FC and Carlton FC.

We ‘chin-wagged’ (Aussie slang for an enthusiastic conversation) for about an hour about the virtues and skills of various players, and of course the coaches.

Eventually, our conversation turned to what we did.

With a question, Winston revealed that he was the CEO of the oldest aged care facility in Australia.

Then it was my turn. “What do you do?”

“My company, Taking Control Communications, helps organisations manage issues and crises, particularly in the media and with critical stakeholders,” was my answer – just a 19 word and a seven seconds EV.

Then we went on talking about something else and enjoying the sun, beer and food.

Before I left the barbeque, Winston asked for my business card.

A couple of weeks later Winston rang and invited me to dinner, during which in his study he asked me how I conducted my business. The pyramid of connection started to expanded.

By the end of the evening he told me his crisis and asked me to submit a proposal to meet his needs.

Winston accepted my proposal, which over a year returned over $100,000. Over the years, Networking and EV’s have yielded many more contracts, large and small.

Sometimes networking produces quick contracts, within days.  It depends on how urgent the potential client’s needs are.

Now when someone asks about Career Renovators Express, the EV is:

“Career Renovators Express helps anyone create a secure and sustainable career, even if they have little money or haven’t a clue how to get started.”

A number of things.

Our chat about our football team created a mutual ‘likeability’ factor.

My business card named my website,. My website listed my credentials, and some people and organisations with whom I worked, which Winston checked. He contacted some of them to see if I was any good at what I did.

That brought the ‘credibility’ factor into play.

The elements of this networking process were:

• Social Likeability
• Questions
• Listening
• Patience
• An Effective Elevator Statement
• Confirmed Credibility
• Trust creation and development
• A Door Handle to an important office
• and finally no ‘pitch’

This whole process took about six weeks to achieve.

Networking takes time, which is the reason you should network carefully and intelligently every week. I have two or three potential business relationships evolving at the moment.

By the way, Winston and I are friends and have been for about 10 years.

Elevator Statement consists of number elements.

• First, the Name of your organisation.
• Second, What the organisation does or you do them
• For Whom.
• Third, “Why” do you or organisation do what it does or you do.

Note there is no”How” at this stage

If the person is interested in  the Elevator Statement, they usually ask “How?”.

“How?” is a Permission question which lets you to tell them more, not too much though. You need to engage them not drown them in a flood of information!

In the case of Career Renovators Express the “How” is based on:

• Re-defining what a career needs to be in the 21^st Century;
• What your education didn’t teach you to thrive, not just survive, in the ever changing  21^st Century;
• By an on-line course, webinars, and even one-on-one Skype counselling;
• Achieved with a reasonable investment and a premium fee for Skype Counselling;
• The Outcome of the program is  a success producing plan to create or enhance your career
• Much and more.

Now, here’s the anatomy of the Career Renovators Express Elevator Statement: “Career Renovators Express (Name) helps anyone (for Whom) create a secure and sustainable career (What and Why), even if they(Whom again) have little money, have been made redundant, are retired, are in a career slump or want to return to work quickly.” About 15 seconds and 43 words long.

You’ll notice this EV is a little different from the earlier version, which brings me to my final point.  Regularly visit you EV and revise or expand it if necessary.

Sorry, another final, final point, practise your EV until it has moved from the page to your head.

Why not have a go at constructing your Elevator Statement about yourself or your organisation.

Till next time, when I’ll outline how to construct a three minute  speech, how it can enhance your career.

Cheers for now … Christian Peterson

Career Networking 2 – Elevator Statements is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

Social Media Friend or Foe? Both!

What do have a 16 year old birthday girl, Tess, Canadian policeman Michael Sanguietti and soccer player Ryan Giggs have in common?

Answer, they didn’t realize the power of social media.

Tess fled, police turned up, made a few arrests and her birthday will be never be one she will ever forget.

Ryan Giggs thought he would stop the media from reporting his alleged affair with Big Brother contestant, Imogen Thomas. Ryan obtained a court ruling to stop the media from publishing any story about the alleged affair with beauty queen winner.

Within days of the ruling, a British parliamentarian outed Giggs under parliamentary privilege. Ultimately tens of thousands of Tweets circulated cyber space.

Griggs’s lawyers plan to sue Twitter to discover the people behind the initial posts. Too late I think.

Then there’s the well intentioned Canadian policeman, Michael Sanguietti.

During a school talk, Michael Sanguietti, allegedly said, “I’ve been told I’m not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised.”

That remark started an international movemen.  “SlutWalk” marches and demonstrations appeared all over Europe, America and Australia.

Thousands of people, men included, signed up to Facebook.  Organiser expected a few 100 would march here and there.

In Melbourne, Australia, 2,500 men and mainly women turned up to reclaim the word ‘slut’, protest against rape and against women being victimised. Their cry was ‘When We say Yes, we mean Yes.  When we say No we mean No!”.

Now I’m not here to agree with anyone’s point of view – I do have one – but I want to highlight the power of social media.

People who use Social Media can cause the fall of governments, destroy Brands and businesses, ruin reputations and cause civil unrest.   With 140 characters Twitter can be used to start to do all of this.

Ask Rupert and James  Murdoch about the combined power of traditional and social media.  Castles, and maybe Empires. can fall

We are just beginning to understand the power and how to use social media.

The quality and speed of your communication determines the outcome of your communication, not what was you intended – ask the Canadian policeman.

Corporations, the legal profession, public relations practitioners, and the media often take too long to respond and convey your truth or your side of the issue, crisis or story.   Even worse  many people try to spin the story.  Forget spinning, that’s so 20^th Century and doesn’t resonate with audiences.

Recently a client didn’t want to give ‘’oxygen” to a story by responding.  Not a good idea either.

Social media can provide more  ”oxygen” than anyone can handle! The world can breath on it.

Concentrate on building Resonance, Respect, Trust, and Credibility.  Offer genuine Regret when you have stuffed up, no matter what the lawyers advise.

More about that later

Slut Walk Draws 000′s Worldwide is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

When I was a working broadcaster and journalist, together withmy colleagues, we received an average of 100 press releases a week, sometimes more!  Ninety-nine per cent ended up in the round filing cabinet beside my desk.

Most were trying to ‘flog’ a product. If you want to make people aware of your product advertise it.

Also the media releases were dull, churned out by a public relations hack – absolutely lifeless , extolling that ‘i’t was ‘leading edge’, and is the best thing ever in its class or product or some other over hyped hackneyed cliche.

I wondered if thing had changed, so I contacted a few jorno’s and broadcast producers.

I asked a couple of questions.

Two Simple Questions

Question One.

“How many releases, both paper and electronic, do you receive each week?

Answer: An average of 90 to 100 per week, sometimes 150  - Not combined, but each outlet!

Question Two.

“How many do you follow-up and use?” was the next question.

Answer: An average of one or two a maybe, but usually none.

In my media history of nearly 20 years as an insider, I hardly ever used a release sent to me, either  on paper or electronically.

Credible people with whom I had formed a relationship  usually rang me on my direct line or on my second blocked mobile.

They knew they had to have a ‘story’  to tell that would interest readers and listeners.

Then I asked them to send me information, which I read  from my email box or from the fax.

Sometimes  I used it or at least told them I had forwarded the info to a colleague.

The other releases were dull, churned out by a public relations hack – absolutely lifeless , extolling that ‘it’ was ‘leading edge’, and is the best thing ever in its class or product or some other over hyped hackneyed cliche. Very occasionally there was gold maybe 0ne in a 100 or so.

The majority of releases are considered as SPAM and are never opened, being consigned to the Recycle Bin.

Gimmicks, such as chocolates or other trivia, mean one thing.  You or your PR firm are trying to engage the media outlet to interview you.

Publishers like to send books to entice you to interview the author to promote their product.

In Australia about 4,000 new books are published each year – in the US, 40,000.

We had a big box in the production office called the  Christmas and Birthday Present Box. Nearly all the books we received were dumped in the C & B Box and anyone could take any number of books and give them to their friends.  We had hundreds left over. At the end of the year and after us vultures dipped into the box, a charity would collect them to sell or distribute to those who couldn’t afford to buy books.

The odds are really stacked against you if you use a PR firm.

Never let a PR Agency convince you that they can create ’free’ media exposure for your product or service.   In the promotion game nothing is ’free’. The fees they charge for ‘free ’promotion are too high for the return on your investment and benefits you receive, which are  usually not much.

In my next blog I outline how to effectively help people find you and how you can engage them to a least look or listen to your ‘story’ without those PR gougers.

The New Rules

The Internet has revolutionised Marketing and Public relations, which you should at least know about if you wish to successfully communicate with your desired audiences.

In the Internet era your first task is to be found.

Second tasks is to engage your audience.

And finally, it is to form a relationship with your audience.

Remember it’s easier when you how.

Christian Peterson

“The quality an effectiveness of your communication is the response you receive.”

PS:  Oprah visited Australia.  It is rumoured that Tourist Australia paid her organisation, Harpo, $2,000,000 to get her and her team here.  The hidden costs have never been revealed.  Tourism Australia say they got an excellent deal.

I believe they did, but the increase in the number of tourists will tell us if it was worth it.  Things are much tougher with the global economic down turn

Media Releases – so 2010! is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

Over 10 years ago speaking at Women in Finance Networking Breakfast the question was asked “How will the the Internet impact on business communication, nee marketing?’

Before I could answer an assertive voice from the attractive audience answered “Not much!”

Why?

“Advertising does the trick.” said another.

Then, ‘Cold calling really works!”

“We use direct mailing”

“Our data base is huge and everybody gets an email about new our great new finance product!”

“What do you think Christian?”

If the comments from the floor were any indication, we just didn’t have aclue about the internet, communication, marketing  and sales.

At that stage,, Year 2000, nobody could image what was going to happen over the next 10 years and many are still stuck in 20C ways.

The real challenge is how do we integrate traditional media and the new internet media.  Next time I’ll outline some of discoveries of some of the best communication innovators of the past five years.

Cheers for now and remember “Live for Life and Life will Live for You”  Christian.

21C Communication Campaign – What A Ride! is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

As part of the torture process, the police of the Middle East country anally raped a man using a wooden pole. Using a mobile, videoed the torture and humiliation of the innocent man.  Sorry about the graphic description.

To intimidate his family, the police then sent the video to the mobile phones of the man’s family and friends.  Disgusting, horrific, brutal, but unfortunately torture and intimidation are part of the culture of some countries, including the good guys.

The police concerned denied their brutality until it appeared on My Space, an internet site.  My Space is a website where anyone can place messages, photos, and videos, quickly and simply.  My Space is a place frequented by millions of internet users.

The police media unit tried to deny the allegations of torture, but had not counted on the police video reaching the world, particularly main stream media.

The message here is that with the World Wide Web, ordinary citizens can easily get their messages out to counter act ‘spin’ doctors.  Now some of those citizens can be vexatious, as was the case in three aged care facilities in last year.

In one case the vexatious claims were made by a disgruntled employee and two residents who convinced a popular nightly TV program to air their ‘grievances’.  A website was also used by an ethnic organisation to spread the allegations, which were without foundation.

The World Wide Web is also  Citizen Journalists, people who aren’t formally trained as journalists, but have instant access through the Web to millions of potential readers, listeners and viewers.  They may report allegations without checking their sources’ motives and integrity.

For example, a number of leading American companies have suffered at the hands citizen journalists who have made un-informed claims that have damaged their business. In some cases the companies did deserve ‘outing’ for poor services and faulty products; however, others did not deserve the treatment they received.

And then there are internet Blogs, short for Web logs. A blog is a place on the website where you can log onto and write what you think, and what you believe you have seen or what a friend told you.

Reporters from the  media regularly monitor certain websites to pick up leads for a story,

So the message is that trying to spin a crisis is not possible as the facts and claims will be found out.

Before the World Wide Web, you could spin a story for a month or two, before the truth, or a version of the truth, surfaced in the media.  Today, the chance of spin being ‘un-spun’ is far greater and will be done in record time, sometimes in hours not days or months.

One of the steps to counter spin, whether true, partly true or false, is to use the communication keys for tough situations:

The keys are

• Regret,
  
• Responsibility,
  
• Remedial Action and
• Resonance

To learn how to use these keys check out Making Media Magic under the Communication Skills tag.

Next Friday,February 19 Publicity Magic.

Christian Peterson

The Death of Spin is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication

When I talk with my clients the greatest challenge  they have is closing the communication gap with their clients business partners and colleagues and personal friends and family.  Here are a few observations that might be useful:

• The quality of your personal and professional communication will determine the quality of your life.
• What you communication to yourself is just as important  as what you communicate to others.
• If you never Network your glass will be empty.
• Network occasionally and your glass maybe half full.
• If Networking is a way of life you willneed many glasses.
• Understanding your communication environment is critical in business and relationships.

Communication Environments:

Another to understand how you can reduce the communication gap is to understand the various  communication environments in your life.  The Principles  of Communication remain  the same, however, how you apply them differs in each environments.  Here are few different communication environments you may encounter .

• Networking for Results
• Effective Questions meaningful Listening
• Business Elevator Statements
• Expanding your Elevator Statement with permissio
• After getting your hand on the door handle

• Presentations
• Corporate Story Telling
• Business Teams Communication

• News statements for TV and Radio
• Current Affairs for TV and Radio
• Talk back for tradio and TV
• Long electronic interviews
• Print interviews
• Columns that don’t Crumble

• Web impact writing
• Web Video
• Web Audio
• The Google Front Page
• Discovering result producing Keywords

And a lot more.

Shortly you will be able to  join our Taking Control Club to improve your communication success.

Effective Communications is a post from: Taking Control - High Performance Communication