An Introvert’s Guide to Networking

"The quality of your communication determines the quality of your life."
 — Anthony Robbins, Motivational Speaker and Life Success Coach

In Issue #219

[Editor’s Note: This week’s essay comes from Tiiu Garrett, a lady I first met at AWAI’s 2007 boot camp. I think you’ll enjoy what Tiiu has to say about networking. I’m taking next week off for the holidays, so we’ll “talk” again in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I want to wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season! – Krista]

Guest Essay: An Introvert’s Guide to Networking
by Tiiu Kai Garrett

A few weeks ago, while in Delray Beach at AWAI’s annual copywriters’ boot camp (the granddaddy of networking opportunities if ever there was one), I practiced a simple secret to easy and painless networking. Not only is it great for the introvert, it’s a sure thing for most anyone.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not an introvert myself. However, most writers are by nature. Especially when faced with three or four hundred strangers.

But before I fill you in on that, let me back up a bit…

I am part of a small inaugural group of copywriters who met last January in an Atlanta hotel restaurant. Just seven of us braved the snowstorm that pummeled the area, the draw being our now-resident copywriting ‘rock star’ Krista Jones.

A networking group of mostly fledgling copywriters called Write4Success was born that wintry weekend. Our member list now numbers over 20 writers. About every three months since then, a dozen or so Write4Success copywriters gather around a dinner table and talk. Technically speaking, we are networking.

What I learned that first night last January – and in the ensuing year – is that networking is essentially meeting people. And listening to them. Caring about what they have to say. Sharing information. It doesn’t have to be so difficult.

Ed Gandia, a rock star in his own right, was guest speaker at our October Write4Success get-together. He was so nice – a family man who was kind and generous with his advice. He was happy to share his experiences with us newer writers because he remembers how tough it is just starting out and getting a copywriting career off the ground.

That night, we all networked with Ed. Or how I think of it, we all got to know Ed and each other a little bit better, and shared our stories.

“How Are You? Here’s my card.”

AWAI’s boot camp is really no different. Yes, there are three or four hundred people. Present are some of copywriting’s mega superstars. But at breakfasts, during breaks between classes, and milling around the lobby, people are talking with one another. Listening. Networking. And making friends.

I’ve found that if you approach people with a mindset of ‘getting to know you’ instead of ‘getting my business card out there,’ it works well. After all, what good is your contact information in the hands of someone who doesn’t remember you, or worse, someone who was turned off by what they perceived as an attitude of your just wanting to use them as a contact?

“How are you? Here’s my card” just doesn’t cut it.

I spoke with one woman who was nervous about being there. I’ll call her Lisa. She didn’t know what to say to anyone because she was brand new. I assured her she was in good company, with so many others in the same shoes. She felt out of place and awkward, and as a new writer, felt that she had nothing to offer by way of ‘copywriter conversation.’

I suggested if she simply viewed the four days as a time to meet new people, and forget all about networking, she would overcome the fear and actually network. She was doubtful but promised to try.

What I learned from being a part of both the Write4Success group, as well as going to boot camp two years in a row, is that people are people, and probably a whole lot more like you than you first suspected. Whether they’re doctors, sales clerks, or writers.

As with any group of people, you’ll find those with whom you’ll click, and those with whom you won’t. You talk some, listen a lot, and get a feel for each person. You exchange phone numbers and email addresses, and begin a relationship.

Yes, you’re networking. But you’re really just getting to know them.

Lisa emailed me recently to say hi and excitedly shared how she is now involved in a peer review group. She seemed to have bridged the gap between scared-to-death newbie, and full-of-expectation copywriter. She faced her fears head-on, and now networks every week as she reviews copy with her peers.

You know what? I believe she’ll be a networking diva yet. And you can do the same.

[Tiiu Kai Garrett is a freelance copywriter specializing in writing for the web and is owner of Tiiu Kai Creative (www.tiiukaicreative.com). She lives in the beautiful foothills of North Carolina and is happily married and has four grown children. Her non-writing time is spent with friends and family and you can often find her cooking or reading, just two of her many hobbies.]

Resource Referral: A Roadmap for Doing Well with Elance

I’ll admit, I’ve never been on a job board. So when Monica suggested that I read Angie Dixon’s (see CP Issue #216) guide called Elance Success for Writers, I was a tad skeptical about whether it would hold my interest. Until I started reading …

Two things became clear to me very quickly: I realized what an incredible opportunity I had missed by not visiting job boards when I was starting out. And more importantly, I realized that I can still take advantage of it if need be.

Let’s face it. If you and I want to make sure we succeed as writers in the year ahead, we might have to think differently than we do now or have in the past. Angie helped me see that Elance can be a security blanket should I need one. And in times like these that feels really good.

If you’re intimidated by job boards or you think you can’t make enough money from them, I encourage you to open your mind to another possibility. Get Elance Success for Writers and see how easy it can be to do the kind of work you want to do, work with the kind of clients you want to work with, and earn thousands each month.

Elance Success for Writers is a comprehensive guide that comes with a 90-day guarantee. If you follow Angie’s very detailed advice and you don’t get the results you want within three months, you’ll get every penny back.

I really can’t do the guide justice by trying to describe in a few paragraphs.You’ll get a better idea of just how comprehensive it is when you read this letter.

This might be the best chance you’ll get at a steady source of clients in 2009. So check it out now!

Quick Life Tip: Is It Time or Is It You?

Lately, I’ve been lying to myself, saying or thinking that I don’t have time to do this or that.

Of course, the truth is, it really doesn’t have anything to do with time. When my desire or my commitment is strong, I have all the time in the world.

So the real issue isn’t that I don’t have the time. It’s why I haven’t made the commitment. Once I figure out why I haven’t committed, then I’ve got something I can work with. I can either let it go, let something else go, or figure out a way to become more efficient.

What things in your life do you keep saying you don’t have time for? Now figure out why so you can do something about each one.