Learning Examples to Building Your Professional Network

A treasured childhood memory is a Mister Softee ice cream cone on a hot day summer’s day. Once the familiar Mister Softee’s melody was heard a block away, all my friends stopped playing and ran into the house to find some change, only to return to purchase ice cream. Hearing the music created excited, anticipation and happiness.

The Mister Softee truck music has not changed in all the decades from when I first started buying their products. Furthermore, the menu and look and feel is timeless. They have capitalized on a winning strategy in order to successfully exist for so many decades. Why change the strategy? The Mister Softee Corporation realized their strategy is not delivering ice cream products rather it sells a piece of nostalgia of happiness and the memory of a time when life was simple. Parents are passing this legacy to their children.

 How can you draw from past experiences to shape your present and future career course? Once you identify your brand, you are in the best position to maximize your exposure. Networking can be challenging, but necessary, to enhance your professional career. When we fail to clearly identify and articulate your brand and career lane effectively, you reduce the potential of the growth in your professional network.  At times the career lane that we think we are moving in could be a much bigger lane than we realized. Could you be responsible in reducing your potential and reduce the number of possible contacts?

 For example, if you are in the customer service industry are you only seeking to connect with people in that specific industry? Could contacts in marketing, customer enablement, product management also be strong potential connections?  The more we think outside the box the greater the opportunities. You could be in a much bigger market than you realize.

 Why is brand building so important? In my research networking with scores of senior executives many have successfully founded and expanded their companies. Surprisingly, many founders and CEOs are unable to build their professional brand on their own. Unfortunately, situations change in business and staff once responsible for building the brand of company may be redeployed. Therefore, consider this information the introductory steps to building a professional brand and expanding your network,

 “Professional networking is not accomplished only when you are seeking the next job opportunity, but extends way beyond that. It defines not what you do but who you are. That is when the real benefits are received.”

 Be Reliable and Dependable We may think these are qualities that should be associated with anyone wanting to build their brand or get business. Are you known to be reliable and dependable? If you tell someone that you are going to perform a specific task at a certain time it should be accomplished on time as promised. Of course, sometimes there are some obstacles that can be faced that can prohibit the tasks from being fulfilled. However, this information should be communicated well in advance to build trust and confidence.

 Present a Professional Profile Although this can easily be taken for granted, a professional profile is important, especially if the goal is to produce revenue. Many companies are accustomed to presenting information about their brand, whether it is to build partnerships, raise capital or increase sales. When it comes to business building, a professional profile is necessary. Take responsibility to raise the bar and get noticed. It does not mean expensive items to purchase but be practical and reasonable but professional.

 LinkedIn is excellent tool to leverage to build your professional brand. Producing content, whether via blogging or posting video content goes a long way to establishing a presence. However, when speaking to FinTech founders/CEO a large number are hesitant or even reluctant to building a professional brand. A blog post or video clip can be seen by thousands of people in a short period of time. It all starts with building a marketing strategy.

 Are You “Open” For Business”? How many times have you gone to a store after hours only to see the “Closed” sign in the window? Could you be guilty of wearing the invisible “Closed” sign even if you think you are open for business? Think about the following questions:

 ·       Do I return emails, and telephone calls on timely basis?

·       Is my social media contact old and not current?

·       Do I present an updated resume that is accurate and neat?

·       Do I demonstrate by actions that I am not serious about building my brand?

·       Do I take constructive feedback without getting sensitive?

 Perhaps speak to a friend or confidant to ask if your “Open for Business” banner is clearly defined or not.

 Investigate, Collaborate, Partnership

These three words are very important in building your personal brand. This means you have to be inquisitive in making sure we align ourselves with people who will give you the feedback, you can make the necessary changes. When you ask for feedback, even if you do not agree, weigh it and make sure it is heard. You just never know when it can be used in the future. To build the right partnership that becomes a win-win takes time, ingenuity and persistence, but well worth the effort.

 These items identified are not complete but represent the icing on the cake. This is just the beginning, but if applied, can make a difference in leveraging your personal brand to create additional revenue.

 The Walker Group Media is a marketing and promotion company serving multiple industries including finance, banking and technology. Our varied market segments enables us to identify synergies and opportunities to stimulate growth as we partner with our clients to build their business. Through our one-on-one CEO Advisory Services we have helped companies to navigate through their key business problems, increase sales, build new revenue streams, market their product and gain new customers.