Networking: Know Your Personal Value Proposition

Todd Cohen posted a podcast on Value Propositions over on ToddCohen.com. He talks about value proposition from the point of view of a salesperson, but a lot of the same issues apply to networking and to managing your career growth.

As Todd says, a value proposition is not a recitation of features and functions. It is a statement targeted to a specific customer that shows them how a product or service is specifically going to help them.

Translated into networking, your value proposition is not your current title (that is a function) nor is it your skills, experiences, and competencies (those are features). Rather your value proposition addresses exactly how you can help the person you are talking with (which implies that you've spent a great deal of time listening to their story first). You can save them $50,000 a year. You can accelerate development of their new product so that they can get to market 4 months faster.

Todd gives a list of things that go into a great value proposition:

• A great value proposition motivates and inspires


• A great value proposition uses action words, backed up with specific numbers


• A great value proposition creates clarity and is immediately understood

There is much more to the podcast, and I invite you to listen to it, even if you don't think you are in sales. Guess what? You are in sales, and you are selling you.

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This Week in Philadelphia (TWIP) for 4-27

This week kicks off Equality Forum 2008, a series of events, panels, and gatherings intended to advance national and international gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights by educating the GLBT community and society at large about GLBT issues.

I'm looking forward to the Philadelphia Future Salon on the business applications of social media, though there are plenty of HR, marketing, biotech, and general networking events this week.

Monday, 28-Apr

eWomen Network -- Strategic Business Introductions
8:30am - Philadelphia Business Journal, 400 Market Street; Suite 1200

Womens Business Forum -- Legal Issues for Entrepreneurs
9am - Doylestown Library, Pearl Buck Room

Wayne Presbyterian Church -- Career Networking Program
7:30pm - Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave, Wayne

Tuesday, 29-Apr

GVFHRA -- Driving Execution During Times of Change: The Role of the HR Professional
7:30am - St. Joseph's University

Philly AMA -- New Members Breakfast
8am - Temple University Center City Campus, 1515 Market Street, 6th floor

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Changes in IRS Form 990: What Every Nonprofit Should Know
8:30am - American College of Physicians

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Sign, Sealed, Delivered: Creating Powerful, Personalized Direct Mail
9:30am - La Salle University Student Union, Dunleavy Room

LeTip of Center City Philadelphia -- Weekly Meeting
11:30am - Dave and Buster's 325 North Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia

Center City Proprietors Association -- Lunch with the City's Leaders: Joseph M. Casey, SEPTA
11:45am - Susanna Foo

Boost -- Networking Cocktail Reception
5:30pm - Continental Midtown, 2nd Floor Lounge (19th and Chestnut Streets)

Wednesday, 30-Apr

Pennsylvania Bio -- CEO Roundtable
7:30am - Desmond Hotel, Malvern

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce -- Supplier Network Graduate Workshop: Subcontracting
8am - At the Chamber

BOMA Philadelphia -- Anatomy of an Office Lease
8am - CIGNA, Two Liberty Place

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Business Planning for Nonprofits
9:30am - Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation

Younger Women's Task Force -- Networking Happy Hour
5:30pm - Alfa Bar and Restaurant

Center City Proprietors Association -- The Sixth Annual State of the City
5:30pm - Radisson Plaza-Warwick Hotel

Gloucester Township Chamber of Commerce -- Gloucester Township Connection
5:30pm - Filomena's Cucina Italiana, Clementon, NJ 08021

Penn Alumni Club -- Dinner at Haru in Old City
7pm - Haru, 241-243 Chestnut Street

Thursday, 1-May

Philly Ad Club -- Breakfast Seminar: Niche/ Demographic Marketing
8am - Union League

Women's Business Development Center -- Orientation Session
6pm - 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1124

Philadelphia Future Salon -- The Next Step: Business Applications of Social Networking
6pm - Buchanan Ingersoll, Philadelphia Room, 1835 Market Street, on the 14th floor

Friday, 2-May

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Alternatives to Business as Usual: Mergers, Acquisitions & Organizational Restructuring
8:30am - CARIE, Land Title Building

Saturday, 3-May

PRSA -- Three Saturdays to PR Excellence
9am - Rowan University, Bozorth Hall, Room 31

Independence Business Alliance -- What the Supplier Diversity Initiative Can Do for Your Business
12:30pm - Temple University Center City, 1515 Market Street, Room 323

Equality Forum -- BB"Q"
5pm - 13th Street between Walnut and Locust Streets

Equality Forum -- International Equality Dinner
7pm - National Constitution Center

Sunday, 4-May

Equality Forum -- SundayOUT! in Old City
All day - Various locations in Old City

Use LinkedIn for Learning, Not Just for Finding People

Steve Lubetkin of Professional Podcasts LLC forwarded over a link to a great podcast on "Undocumented Ways to Use LinkedIn." In it, Stan Relihan of the Connections podcast interviews Dave Millman on some of the more unusual ways he has used LinkedIn, which include using LinkedIn as a form of market research, doing in minutes what used to take weeks.

"There's no substitute to personally talking to the people in a marketplace or the people who have expertise you want to tap to get a true sense of what is happening in that marketplace…"

While Millman uses a LinkedIn search to identify the people with the expertise or information he wants, he makes a point of going outside of LinkedIn to make contact, even to the point of calling the main switchboard of the company they work for. Millman finds that if you tell people you value their expertise and ask them if they can help you understand something, that they are more than happy to help. "People who don't like sharing aren't on LinkedIn."

One of the more interesting points Millman makes is that his use of LinkedIn is focused on learning rather than on finding. The "documented" uses of LinkedIn – People, Jobs, and Service Providers – all concentrate on finding. Millman's "undocumented" uses of LinkedIn enable him to learn more about the world by going directly to the people who know what he needs to learn.

Relihan refers to LinkedIn as a "dynamic living database," one where the truly valuable information resides outside of the database itself. Interesting concept.

Incidentally, I have 174 test pilots in my LinkedIn network.

TPN :: The Connections Show - Episode #029 [18:16m]

'Undocumented Ways To Use LinkedIn' (Dave Millman)

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This Week in Philadelphia (TWIP) for 4/20

In planning your calendar this week, please be sure to leave time to vote in Tuesday's primary election. No excuses!

This is a busy week for networking, with events for the Third Annual Entrepreneurship Week and all sorts of other events exploring new tech entrepreneurs, the business use of social media, and the power of carrots. There are several events that are pretty far from Philadelphia, but the content was such that I thought them worth including.

I'm also speaking twice this week. First on Tuesday at the Delaware Valley Law Firm Marketing Group, discussing how lawyers and law firms can best make use of LinkedIn and other social media sites to market themselves. Then on Thursday, Todd Cohen and I reprise our discussion on the Strategic Relationship between Sales and Marketing at the Drexel University for the Professional Selling class. We had a lot of fun last time.

Monday, 21-Apr

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Opening Press Reception
5pm - Pennsylvania Convention Center Room 103A

Cabrini College Leader Lecture Series -- Unpopular Wars and Presidential Decision Making: From Vietnam to Iraq
6:30pm - Mansion, Cabrini College

Wayne Presbyterian Church -- Career Networking Program
7:30pm - Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave, Wayne

Tuesday, 22-Apr

Society for Marketing Professional Services -- SMPS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
All day - Hershey, PA

PICPA -- Effective Writing for CPAs
8am - Holiday Inn Select Bucks County, Trevose

eWomenNetwork -- The Power of Girlfriends (SOLD OUT)
10:30am - Union League

LeTip of Center City Philadelphia -- Weekly Meeting
11:30am - Dave and Buster's 325 North Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia

GVFHRA -- A Strategic Approach to Performance Management
2:30pm - Sheraton Park Ridge, King of Prussia

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Making it BIG in Small Business
4:30pm - Helium Comedy Club

GVFHRA -- Employee Recognition: Power of the Carrot
5:30pm - Sheraton Park Ridge, King of Prussia

YPN -- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Perelman Building
6pm - Philadelphia Museum of Art, Perelman Building

BioNJ -- Rutgers Biotech 2008 Employment Fair
6pm - Cook Campus Center, Multipurpose Rooms B and C, New Brunswick, NJ

Wednesday, 23-Apr

Society for Marketing Professional Services -- SMPS Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
All day - Hershey, PA

Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) -- WEBfast by Schubert Communications
7:45am - Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC), Exton, Pa

ISES Greater Philadelphia -- April Luncheon Meeting: The Rhino Attitude
11am - Maggiano's Little Italy, 1201 Filbert St

Center City Proprietors Association -- Lunch with the City's Leaders: Allan Domb
11:45am - Susanna Foo

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Business Start-up 101
12pm - Community College of Philadelphia

PICPA -- Backpack to Briefcase
4pm - Crowne Plaza Valley Forge, King Of Prussia

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Small Business Resource Fair
5pm - Bossone Center of Drexel University

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce -- Mayor's Cabinet Reception
5:30pm - Crystal Tea Room, Wanamaker Building

Center City Proprietors Association -- Technology Trailblazers: The Changing Face of Philadelphia Startups
5:30pm - Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Walnut Street

PANMA -- New Media and News Media: An Educational Event
6:30pm - Temple University Center City, 1515 Market Street, Room 222

Media Coworking Networking Meetup -- Social Networking 101
7pm - Quotations, Media, PA 19063

Thursday, 24-Apr

PICPA -- Time Mastery for CPAs (SOLD OUT)
8am - Holiday Inn Select Bucks County, Trevose

Circle of Entrepreneurs -- Business Breakfast
8:30am - Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, 123 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA

Team and a Dream -- Leveraging Social Media for Your Business
9am - Main Line Chamber of Commerce, 175 Strafford Avenue, Suite 130, Wayne, PA 19087

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Cashing in on Cause-Related Marketing
9:30am - Health Federation of Philadelphia

CFA Society of Philadelphia -- Candidate Marketing Management: Second Session "Successful Interviewing"
5:30pm - Fernley & Fernley, 100 North 20th Street, 4th Floor

Philly SHRM Career Management Forum -- Understanding What Organizations Value
5:30pm - Career Concepts, Inc.

IABC -- Networking Event
6pm - Chart House

Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society -- Social Media: Where Do We Go with Web 2.0?
8pm - Community College of Philadelphia Philadelphia, Center for Business & Industry Auditorium, 1751 Callowhill St., Room C2028

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Party Like an Entrepreneur!
9pm - World Café Live

Friday, 25-Apr

GPSEG NJ Chapter -- Build Relationships & Drive Sales with Email
7:30am - Doubletree Guest Suites

PICPA -- George and Ray's Review of Accounting Standards for Industry
8am - Penn State Great Valley, Malvern

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- The Executive's Role in Marketing
9am - Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney

ASTD Professional Publishing SIG -- Self Publishing
9:30am - Strayer University, King of Prussia

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Youth Business Expo
3pm - Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, 2501 Kensington Ave

Saturday, 26-Apr

PRSA -- Three Saturdays to PR Excellence
9am - Rowan University, Bozorth Hall, Room 31

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Spring Market Fair
9am - Headhouse Square Shambles, 2nd Street & Lombard

Entrepreneurship Week 2008 -- Women Entrepreneurs’ Circle Cocktail Party
5pm - Pentimenti Gallery, 145 N. 2nd Street

Don't Quit Too Soon

Most people give up too soon. They give up after only one try, or they make the effort to get 90% of the way towards their goal and get discouraged just as they are about to have their big breakthrough.

I have to admit that this was brought home to me personally this past month, as my business pulled me away from making regular posts to Fun With Networking. It wasn't that I wanted to quit, but my time was demanded elsewhere. I've been working hard on the blog since last July, and it's made a huge difference for me professionally, and yet here I was having problems sustaining the effort. So here I am, ready to pick myself up and start anew.

How many times has something similar happened to you, when the day-to-day demands of your job or your life pull you away from working on your strategic, long-term goals? It does happen, and it will happen. The trick is to refocus and get moving again. Don't quit.

A lesson from the world of sales illustrates how important it is not to give up. Since everybody is in sales (especially if you are networking), I think the lesson is especially relevant to networking:

Number of calls to close a sale:

- 2% close on the 1st call
- 3% close on the 2nd call
- 4% close on the 3rd call
- 10% close on the 4th call
- 81% close on the 5th call

Only 19 percent of the sales were closed by the fourth call! The majority were closed during the fifth call. Think of your own networking. If you are trying to use networking to meet with someone, how many times do you reach out to someone before you give up and move on. I know I'm often feeling pretty discouraged after the second or third call, and I'm not alone.

When salespeople quit:

- 48% quit after the 1st call
- 24% quit after the 2nd call
- 12% quit after the 3rd call
- 6% quit after the 4th call
- 10% quit after the 5th call

If 81% of the sales close on the fifth call, why are 90% of the salespeople quitting before that point? Because they get discouraged, or distracted, or get cold feet.

These quit-too-soon salespeople failed to realize that the breakthrough they wanted was just a few steps further on if only they had kept after it. I will say the same thing to you. If you want something -- meet an important executive, learn a new skill, start a new stage in your career, start a new company, raise money for a great cause, get your novel published -- keep going after it. Don't get discouraged. It is the last 10 to 20% of your effort that is really going to make the difference for you. The world is full of stories of people who succeeded simply because they refused to give up. Make yours one of them.

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This Week in Philadelphia (TWIP) for 4-13

I thought I'd start off highlighting something that is actually happening NEXT week: Entrepreneurship Week, a week-long celebration of the small business community in Philadelphia. With events held at central locations throughout the City of Philadelphia, Entrepreneurship Week aims to connect entrepreneurs while also highlighting community business leaders and their value in the local economy. Last year's events drew 750 people.

Monday, 14-Apr

Mid-Atlantic Consultants Network -- Selling in the Now for Consultants
7:30am - Merrill Lynch, 724 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087

Women's Business Development Center -- Finding Your Funding
6pm - 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1124

Wayne Presbyterian Church -- Career Networking Program
7:30pm - Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave, Wayne

Tuesday, 15-Apr

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce -- Legal Issues for Non-Profits
8am - Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, DiBona Room

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Honing the Double-Edged Sword: How to Make Volunteer Committees Work
9:30am - Health Federation of Philadelphia

LeTip of Center City Philadelphia -- Weekly Meeting
11:30am - Dave and Buster's 325 North Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia

BOMA/Philadelphia -- “Answer The Energy Conservation Challenge”
11:30am - The Union League

Center City Proprietors Association -- Lunch with the City's Leaders: Sandra Dungee Glenn
11:45am - Susanna Foo

CFA Society of Philadelphia -- Managing Covered Call Option Positions
12pm - Hotel Dupont, Wilmington

Wednesday, 16-Apr

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce -- Brands Without Borders
7:45am - Duane Morris LLP

Entrepreneurs Forum of Southern New Jersey -- Communicating Your Idea
8am - RiverWinds Community Room

Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce -- VETWORK at Centocor
8:45am - Centocor, Inc., Horsham

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Introduction to Compensation
9:30am - CARIE, Land Title Building

PDMA -- Understanding Postal Regulations and Rates
11:30am - Crowne Plaza Hotel, 260 Mall Blvd., King of Prussia

Center City Proprietors Association -- Speed Biz
5:30pm - Twenty21, 2005 Market Street

PAMPI -- Rack N' Roll Bowling Event
6pm - Lucky Strike, 1336 Chestnut Street

Wharton Small Business Development Center -- First Step: Getting to the Starting Line
6:30pm - Jon M. Huntsman Hall, 3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

Womens Business Forum -- Build Your Business Seminar Series Part 2
7pm - James Lorah House, Doylestown

Thursday, 17-Apr

Bagels & Business, Cabrini College -- 5 Ways to Double Your Business Without Making Cold Calls
7:30am - The Mansion, Cabrini College

Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) Philadelphia -- Ira Lubert, Chairman, Independence Capital Partners
7:30am - Top of the Tower, 1717 Arch Street, 50th Floor

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Sharing Your Nonprofit's Story
9:30am - CARIE, Land Title Building

CFA Society of Philadelphia -- More than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places
12pm - The Philadelphia Racquet Club, 215 S. 16th Street

Network Now -- Bucks IDEAS Pre-Expo Networking Session
3pm - Del Val College

CFA Society of Philadelphia -- Candidate Marketing Management: 1st Session "Launching a Job Search"
5:30pm - Fernley & Fernley, 100 North 20th Street, 4th Floor

White Horse Pike Chamber of Commerce Connection
5:30pm - The Pufferbelly, Lindenwold, NJ

Greater Philadelphia Professional Network -- April Event
6pm - Absolute Abstract & Absolute POP!, 134-141 South 13th Street

Friday, 18-Apr

Likemind -- Likemind meet up
8am - Old City Coffee, 221 Church Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106

GPSEG CIO Subgroup -- CIO Influence: Is Reporting Relationship Critical to Success?
11:30am - Aldo Lamberti

PICPA -- Stress Management After Tax Season & Beyond
12:30pm - Racquet Club of Philadelphia

Emerging CPAs -- Happy Hour
5:30pm - Pyramid Club, Philadelphia

Saturday, 19-Apr

PACS -- Introducing Mac OS X v.10.5 Leopard
8am - Upper Moreland Middle School

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- BoardCorps: Bootcamp
8:30am - Wyndham Mount Laurel

PRSA -- Three Saturdays to PR Excellence
9am - Rowan University, Bozorth Hall, Room 31

Sunday, 20-Apr

MakePhilly -- April Meeting: Prometheus Radio Project
3pm - University of the Arts (Industrial Design department)

This Week in Philadelphia (TWIP) for 4/6

Just a quick one today. No pictures. No talking. Nothing but calendars.

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately, but I've been extremely busy with work, which is a very good thing. Just so you know, a lot of this work has come to me because I've been out networking. Much of it comes through people I first met in the Summer or Fall of last year, or even earlier, so it takes time to build a relationship of trust. You have to keep networking, too, to keep yourself top-of-mind with your contacts.

The Chinese believe that Spring is the time for planning and decision making. This is the time to be planting seeds in anticipation of the Fall harvest. If you don't plant seeds now, you won't have a harvest come Fall.

So, maybe there was a little talking....

Monday, 7-Apr

GVFHRA -- Career Networking Group
5:30pm - Right Management, Berwyn PA

Women's Business Development Center -- Orientation Session
6pm - 1315 Walnut Street, Suite 1124

Wayne Presbyterian Church -- Career Networking Program
7:30pm - Wayne Presbyterian Church, 125 E. Lancaster Ave, Wayne

Tuesday, 8-Apr

SMEI -- 21st Century Marketing
7:30am - Plymouth Country Club

Network Now -- Perfect Your Pitch
9:30am - Chalfont, PA

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- Fun, Fabulous, and Fiscally Fit: A Formula for Successful Special Events
9:30am - Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney

LeTip of Center City Philadelphia -- Weekly Meeting
11:30am - Dave and Buster's 325 North Columbus Boulevard Philadelphia

Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce -- Power Networking Luncheon
12pm - Coastline Restaurant, 1240 Brace Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

EFGP -- IS YOUR BUSINESS SECURE?
5:30pm - Federal Reserve Bank

CFA Society of Philadelphia -- Networking Happy Hour
6pm - Tir Na Nog Bar & Grill, 1600 Arch Street

mediabistro.com -- All-Media Party in Philadelphia
6:30pm - Positano Coast

Independents Hall -- Illustrator Workshop: Tracing, From Sketch to Digital
6:30pm - IndyHall

Philly IGDA -- Meeting
7pm - University of Pennsylvania, Levine Hall

Wednesday, 9-Apr

Philadelphia Black Public Relations Society -- Graphic Design and the Media
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau

Knowledge Management Group of Philadelphia -- Applying KM System Ownership Across a Medical Affairs Department
7:45am - DeVry, Chesterbrook

Philly Ad Club -- Workshop: Media Buying
8am - Clear Channel Radio, Bala Cynwyd

Temple University Fox School of Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute -- 3rd Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference
8:30am - Student Activities Center, Main Campus, Temple University

Center City Proprietors Association -- Lunch with the City's Leaders: Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey
11:45am - Susanna Foo

CFA Society of Philadelphia -- A Black Swan for Quantitative Portfolios
12pm - Philadelphia Country Club, Gladwyne

Society for Marketing Professional Services -- Tech Forum
5pm - Downtown Club

Penn Alumni Club -- Private Tour of Kimmel Center with the New CEO
6pm - Kimmel Center

Thursday, 10-Apr

GPSEG Financial Subgroup -- Marketing & ROI
7:30am - Doubletree Guest Suites

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle -- How to be the Boss You Wish You'd Had
9:30am - The Pew Charitable Trusts

BioNJ -- New Jersey High-Tech Hall of Fame Induction Dinner
6pm - Crystal Plaza in Livingston, NJ

Friday, 11-Apr

GVFHRA -- Professional Certification/Recertification Exam Prep Study Group
8:30am - Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.

MAC Alliance -- Student Event: How to Start a Business in Philadelphia
11:30am - MAC Offices, 200 South Broad Street, Suite 700, Philadelphia

Saturday, 12-Apr

Career Transitions -- Social Media and blogging, what it means to you
9:45am - Strayer University, 234 Mall Blvd. King of Prusssia

Independents Hall -- Wordpress Workshop: Beginner
10am - IndyHall

Independents Hall -- Wordpress Workshop: Intermediate
2pm - IndyHall