Written on the 2 July 2008 by Rachel Quilty of Jump the Q.
Lessons from the Boy’s Club series.
The Long Lunch…for women is a myth. So often we talk about doing lunch and we must ‘catch up’. While recognizing the importance of attending networking events, we race in last minute swiftly consume the meal and make rapid notes of the speakers key points. Promising ourselves we’ll implement them when we return to the office. Thinking of the office… my goodness is it that the time already and we charge out of the function. Often without a single business card or a friendly connection to follow up on. But we didn’t waste a precious minute.
Sound familiar! Ridden with guilt we often sabotage the opportunities to build fabulous relationships and build our network or sphere of influence.
There is no doubt that women can learn a lot from the boys club and the way that men network. Let’s think about this a little- relationships thrive on two way communication in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. This is easily cultivated over a long lunch, drinks after work or a game of golf.
Working women need to take a chapter from the Boy’s Club Manual and heed the following advice:
1.At the heart of guilt is fear. What are you afraid of? That if you don’t get back to the office you’ll be stacked or if you fail to get a proposal out, the client will walk. Is this really likely to happen? Most likely not. However here is an idea – schedule the hour before and after a function for potential clients or one on one network meetings. Trick your brain into accepting that networking before and after a function is valuable and when in your diary you can agree to timeframes that accommodate this.
2.Determine the outcomes you would like to achieve by attending this function. Is it to meet a specific person or group of people, to be seen and build your profile. You had better believe that men have an agenda and as we know defined goals are likely to be achieved over time. So determine the objective for each function. It can be as simple as enjoying the speaker and making two new acquaintances or as strategic as orchestrating an introduction with the quest speaker. No doubt the host would be happy to facilitate if they knew your quest.
3.Be flexible and take the time you need to share information to build rapport. It not always about work that ignites a relationship. Be interested in what others are doing. Often non work related subjects relaxes the listener and generates a genuine enquiry into what you do. People are more likely to share more in a relaxed state.
Yes it’s time to bring back the long lunch or re-establish some serious coffee dates. Take the time to relax and watch your sphere of influence grow.
With the rebirth of High Teas as the new networking event, proper etiquette is vital. Many decisions are made at social events, knowing how to be comfortable in those environments is essential so you can put the business of what to do behind you and focus on your networking. Proper etiquette plays a large role in effective networking, because good manners go far beyond the dinner table and leave a lasting impression. Why the brush up on social graces? More than a passing fancy, good manners have always been the icing of the cake in terms of effectively delivering communications to a client.
Enjoy the finer things in life at our delightful 2 hour High Tea and Etiquette Workshop as we provide a brief explanation of High Tea’s history and etiquette. Bring a friend and make an afternoon of it. You’ll thoroughly enjoy it!
Or register your interest in our Champagne Mafia club – quarterly epicurean dinners in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with a group of fabulous women.
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Brand Yourself! And Jump the Q! Your personal brand should reflect your abilities and potential. Rachel Quilty, Personal Brand Strategist, known as ‘the Authority’ on personal branding and author of must- have book ‘Brand Yourself’. Go to http://www.JumptheQ.com.au for FREE strategic branding tips. Rachel encourages Jump the Q clients to think strategically when developing a personal brand to get that job offer, gain that promotion or win that client.
Jump the Q assists you to strategically and systematically leverage your professional profile and build your personal brand to become the authority in your industry. Get your free personal branding tactics and tips at http://www.brandyourselfblueprint.com
We assist you to develop your Personal Brand Strategy by:
- Discovering your purpose.
- Designing your best personal brand.
- Devising a personal marketing plan.
- Developing your Signature Brand.
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