Next week is “Business Networking Week” and there is a nice conference being held in San Diego at the Town & Country Hotel on Monday (February 1, 2010) with breakout sessions on building business through social networking, and networking outside your current networks (“Connect The Dots”). If you know independent business people who rely on personal referrals for their business, they can get info about the special event at this link:

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/527104584

Did you know that the City of San Diego now has managed competition — allowing outside companies to compete with City departments such as the Data Processing Corporation for city technology projects? I produced proposals and presentations for a government construction contractor which so far in 2009 have won four contracts amounting to $3.75 billion in contract awards. That is a chunk of change. Perhaps if Data Processing Corporation needs to compete with private companies for parts of the City of San Diego’s technology services, they will have to prepare similar presentations and proposals which have not been required of them in the past. I would like an introduction to the director in a government office who might need my services in submitting well-designed proposals for government projects.

Word of the day: nota bene. You’re not likely to get anyone’s attention by spouting this line, unless you’re in Latin class. On the other hand, its abbreviation in writing, N.B., is pretty dependable as a way of directing readers’ attention. The original means “note well!” For the graphically inclined, ? also does the trick.

Word of the Day supplied by visualthesaurus.com.

Networking with potential clients or people who could potentially refer you to clients is an art. It is nuanced by various techniques which can work well or ruin your chances of ever getting work in this way.

One way to ruin your chances of getting a business referral is to approach a stranger, and hand him three or four of your business cards, and ask this person to give them to his best clients. This is the surest way  to strike out.

The reason is that you have to go through a three step process in building relationships. It is call the V-C-P process, where step one is becoming “visible,” or known. The second step is building “credibility” with other people by showing them over time that you do what you say you do. And the third step, “profitability,” will follow when the people who you have met and built credibility with feel good enough about you to refer you to their most valuable clients.

When an unknown person hands someone else his card, he hasn’t even gotten to “visibility” (V), yet. He isn’t even a known business person yet. After people have seen him around, seen his advertising, her people talk about him, then he becomes known. But he isn’t trusted yet. That comes with more time, and perhaps several transactions, before he builds “credibility” (C).

A better tact in a networking situation is to introduce yourself, tell people how you help your clients, and ask if there is anything you can do for them. This is a better step in the right direction in the V-C-P process.

I picked up this article from SuccessNet Online by Brian Tracy. Here is the gist of it.

The deepest craving of human nature is to feel valued. So the secret to charming others is to make them feel important.

You can do this in five ways. Be accepting of others exactly as they are. Show appreciation for anything they have done. Similarly, praise others for what they have done. Compliment others on a trait, possession or accomplishment. And finally, give them your undivided attention.

Some of these sound similar, and may in fact be the same, but you get the idea. We all need acceptance, appreciation, approval, admiration and attention. Pay attention and make a friend!

When we speak of “corporate communications” usually think about big companies. I don’t think it has anything to do with the size of a company. I think corporate communications (as differentiated from marketing and sales) is more about relationship building, building a reputation, and building a lasting legacy.

A little story about Corky McMillin, the founder of McMillin Communities. He started out in 1960 as a small contractor building homes in his hometown of Chula Vista, CA with just a couple helpers and his wife doing the books. He pooled his employees with his mechanic and dentist to get a health insurance plan.

One of his sons took to the construction side of the business, and another to the real estate sales side, and his daughter created an interior design business to serve the needs of the business. The business grew until they had created whole neighborhoods in Chula Vista. They built relationships with the residents of Chula Vista by building good homes, through their community volunteerism, their love of offroad racing, and the resale of homes they had built through McMillin Realty.

As the company grew larger, my newsletters served to keep his employees and subcontractors informed of what was happening.  The newsletters celebrated employee anniversaries, introduced new people to the staff, covered the planning and openings of new projects and new phases in developments, and maintained relationships with staff and subs.

Corporate communications is very much about building a brand, and staying in alignment with everything that brand represents. In the case of McMillin, they never produced anything but consistently high quality homes which will serve their occupants for years to come. The company has built nearly 30,000 homes in master-planned communities, as well as community parks, thousands of miles of roads, schools, shopping centers, commercial office and industrial parks, college dormitories and 2,000 military residences on seven military bases. It is now building homes throughout California and parts of Texas. Its prominent redevelopment of San Diego’s Naval Training Center into Liberty Station on San Diego Bay was voted Base Redevelopment Community of the Year by the Association of Defense Communities.

Corky McMillin’s reputation for quality construction and personal service — as well as his induction into the offroad motorsports hall of fame, and being honored for his financial support to the real estate program at San Diego State University — have established a living legacy to the man who started it all in Chula Vista, CA. Corky McMillin even has an elementary school named after him. Even though the man passed away several years ago, the relationship between the company he built and the communities it serves is still strong.

This is an example of how corporate communications (and the company which employees it) is about growing relationships, not making transactions. There is a saying that people don’t remember so much about how much you know or do, but do remember how much you care. Corporate communications communicates that to the world.

I have belonged to a business networking group for about three years which meets in La Mesa, CA. The benefit to small companies of belonging to a business network is the opportunity to get business referrals from other companies as though they are your sales force. This works best when you are not in competition with a similar company in the network, and your network includes companies which naturally receive a volume of business which they can refer to you. Within our network I have a team which includes a printer and an IT specialist. There are other companies in the network, but most of our business network referrals come from one another. The three of us constitute a “marketing power team.”

We would very much like to add the following companies to our marketing power team: a sign company, an advertising specialties company, an SEO specialist, a Web developer, a product photographer, and an event planner. These are the types of companies and business people with whom we can immediately share business. Other members of our chapter have other power groups, and would welcome a chiropractor, a florist, a handyman, a painter, a plumber and a trust attorney. Anyone interested in visiting our Wealth Builders business network can call me at 619-203-0522, or visit our Website at www.bniwealthbuilders.com.

Presenting your strengths and capabilities which differentiate you from the competition is important in any presentation. Here are some ideas for presenting a great portfolio of your work.

1. Tailor the presentation to address the specific needs of the client. You can do this by having several portfolios for several types of projects you are pursuing, or a portfolio which can be edited and re-ordered (such as a loose leaf binder, presentation boards, or a PowerPoint presentation). Presentation boards 12” x 18” can be displayed on an easel or passed around in a conference room environment. The type of presentation should be selected for the size of the group to which you are presenting, the availability of electronic presentation tools, and the nature of the work being presented. Interactive creative work cannot be shown well in photos, so the work will sometimes dictate the media of the presentation.
2. Create and distribute “mini” portfolios in PDF format which can be emailed to clients. It is best to stick to a letter-size format so they can be easily printed out by the recipient. These portfolios can be posted on your Website, and you can have several for different types of projects you want to undertake.
3. Showcase a single project on each board or page, show the “before” and “after,” or present your work as a “solution” to a problem, and include a testimonial from the client. This shows that you are results-oriented, and helps the viewer understand why your work is appropriate for the problem it was intended to solve.
4. Categorize you work. If you are a photographer or illustrator, group your work in categories such as: people, product photography or illustrations, architecture, etc.  If you are a graphic designer, create separate sections for industry (real estate, tourism, financial services), clients, or types of work (Websites, publications, advertising, marketing collateral, corporate identity, etc.)
5. Tell a story. Your portfolio might show the progression of your career, or be a creative work of its own showcasing your creativity, various talents and skills.
6. Present your 3 LCDs, or lowest common denominators. These are three “specialties” you have, or unique selling points, with examples of your work, and a success story page or board for each specialty. Introduce your 3 LCDs on one board, then use most of the portfolio to showcase each of your LCDs in three separate sections which include your work, your success story, and types of similar projects which you want to pursue. At the end of your portfolio, summarize the work with references to your expertise in each of the LCDs. One presentation I did focused on Web design, Publications and Branding. Your three LCDs might instead focus on three “case studies” of your work. Three seems to be a good number, as most people can remember three themes when they are repeated throughout a presentation. You can use your portfolio pages to further discuss your unique approach to each of your specialties, or your philosophy or guiding principles which set you apart, and how these apply to the project or client you are pursuing.
7. Show original thinking. Clients are interested in what you add to the creative process. Note your role in the work on each project represented, and be prepared to explain what the project is, how it started, and why it was a success. This information could also be included in the format of the portfolio.
8. Focus on your expertise. By focusing on 3 LCDs or dedicating your entire portfolio to a certain kind of work, you prove you are a successful expert in a specific field with substantial knowledge, skills and experience.
9. Address the specific requirements of the particular client you are meeting with. If you know beforehand that your audience is interested in a highly specialized skillset, tailor your presentation to the exact requirements they seek, and use headlines and captions which use the EXACT language used. This is important in pursuing contract work where contractors are invited to answer an RFP (request for proposal, or presentation). Mimic the exact style and vocabulary of the client you are pursuing. As a successful presenter, you need to know the client, speak his language, and be a “good fit” for the client and the work being pursued.
10. Thank your audience, make eye contact, and give your audience a sample of your work. A leave-behind can be a page which summarizes your presentation, showing several examples of the work which was presented, with appropriate contact information.
11. Rehearse and practice your presentation several times. Show up over-prepared. Make sure you can show your portfolio of work within a specific timeframe, and that you are prepared to improvise in the event that your audience does not want to see a “canned” presentation. Boards and presentation books are a good format for a variety of situations where you might have to quickly move to examples which directly answer questions and concerns from your audience. A printed or static portfolio version can also be a handy alternative in case your canned computer portfolio presentation fails for any reason. Be prepared for the unexpected, which can include power outages, an impatient audience member, forgotten power cord, or an impromptu presentation in the elevator. The better prepared you are for the unexpected, the better you look in any situation. Smile, and enjoy sharing your work and your passion.

Get double value from your catalog, mailer or advertising by posting downloadable PDFs on your Website. Customers going to your Website may not be on your mailing list.

Do you find yourself becoming distracted, wasting time, losing money and being less successful than you want? Do you have nothing to aspire to except the daily grind of work? Are you constantly reactive to life’s daily changes? Want to be more involved with things you are passionate about? Want to direct your life more?

Perhaps it is time to write or re-write your business vision statement.

A business vision statement is an inspirational, energizing idea that you can use to excite yourself, and others, about what you want to do into the future. And simple vision statements are the most effective. They are easy to remember and easy to communicate to others. If your vision statement becomes something you believe and truly want with passion, creating it can propel you to success. It is your statement of intent about the difference you and your business will make in the world. Wow!

Here are some suggestions for creating a vision statement:

Think about what excites you about the future. Think about where you want to take your business. Think about what you want to get out of your life’s work. Write as many ideas down as you can think about the positive outcome you want to see. Then, put all those ideas into one bold statement you can remember each day.

Simplicity, clarity, authenticity and inspiration are the cornerstones for a good vision statement. Enjoy the process.