3 Truths About Networking Events

Maybe you like them. Maybe you hate them. Maybe you’ve never been. Anyway you cut it, there are a few things that always apply to networking events.

1. Networking Events Are Awkward.

Who do I approach first? How do I end this conversation? How can I say hi to Joanie when she is in the middle of that group? Should I have brought a buddy? Why did I bring this person with me? Where do I sit? Where do I stand? Why isn’t anyone here? Why are there so many people here? Did I come overdressed? I don’t have answers to any of these questions. I never will because they come up and loom every time. The good thing is everyone else in the room is going through the same thing.

2. Networking Events Are Not Quick.

I made the mistake of multi-booking on a networking event night, thinking I’d just pop in, see what was going on and duck out.

If that’s the approach, why did I bother anyway? I’m not going to have any meaningful interactions when I’m on a stopwatch. I’m focused on whatever Thing I am doing next, not on being present and meeting a cool entrepreneur, scientist, student, listening and learning. Then after ducking out, I felt guilty at the next Thing, that I should have stayed longer. Rewind and replay track titled “Not Present”.

Events are often not on time or on schedule. Speakers talk longer, guests are late, or the projector’s messed up. Commit to the Networking Event and do that other Thing some other day.

3. Networking Events Work.

If you let it. Be open to who you’ll meet or that person you dread seeing there. Tell your story, but listen to everyone else’s more intently. Have a goal. It can range from “Show up” to “Find a new client.”

So when’s your next one? I plan to enjoy the awkwardness at the next Chance Meeting, coordinated locally by Teton Regional Economic Coalition (TREC) on October 25th.

Logos I love.

I drove to Idaho Falls a few weeks ago to meet with a SCORE mentor . As I cruised down Highway 20, I passed a box truck and noticed its distinctive and simple logo. That’s the inspiration behind my new blog post.

The logo wasn’t particularly creative, or artistic, or inimitable. The company is a disaster restoration and remodeling company. Neither their company nor their logo gives any indication of the type of work they do.

Still, I love this logo.

This logo is all about the relationship between the L & D. I love how it interlocks. The color combination is spot on but not so rigid that it couldn’t change for a brand refresh. It’s clean and bold. It requires no special versions for web, print, banners or other types of materials.

When I got home, I looked up “Davis Restoration Idaho Falls” and it was the #1 result on Google (good job on SEO, gang!) In addition to the logo, Paul Davis Restoration of Idaho also designed some icons to go with their services.

Excuse me while I pass out. I am loving this brand look.

The icons are a great way to tell the damage restoration story. You don’t really know what restoration is until you need it, and since “damage” is one of the top keywords on the site, my guess is that “urgent” and “stress” appear too when the subject comes up. With all that going on, using imagery to explain how the company can help the customer is smart and moves Paul Davis’ prospects along in the buying cycle.

While there are some dramatic images on the site–fire, a roof kissed by a tree, mold damage–these icons serve as a calm, non-judgmental visual reminder of the company’s offering.

What I don’t love.

The company name doesn’t tell me what the company does. It could be an interior design firm (in fact, I thought it was at first glance — due to the look and that it was on a delivery-type box truck), an architecture firm or a real estate agent. The tagline “recover, reconstruct, restore” must always travels with the logo to provide an explanation of the company’s services..

Minor. I’m still drooling over all of it. High-five to the Paul Davis Restoration design team.

Love it or hate it? Logo design is sensitive to people’s individual tastes, preferences and product prejudices. I’d love to hear your take in the comments.

Co-working space in Teton Valley?

Are you interested in using a co-working space in Teton Valley? Local entrepreneurs are conducting research on feasibility and user preferences. Take the survey here:

tinyurl.com/coworkteton

Please pass on the survey link or a link to this post to friends or business associates who want to stay in the loop.

Want more info about co-working spaces? Read more:

Why People Thrive in Coworking Spaces

As Coworking Spaces Scale, Can They Keep Their Communal Vibe

Co-Working Spaces = Higher Success for your Startup

The Marketing Spritz

When I was teaching my marketing class last fall, I talked about the “spraying and praying” marketing approach. The short version of this is doing any and/or all communications activities without a clear strategy and goals. It probably goes without saying that I don’t recommend this approach.

But sometimes “spritzing” is ok. I didn’t realize how my students fixated on this conversation. I saw a couple of them a few weeks later.

“Hey! I ordered some stickers. It’s a spritz!”

“I want to place an ad in the paper for the holidays. Is it an ok spritz?”

So what the heck is it?

Spritzing is often a one-off activity, or a tester to see if something works. It’s not necessarily part of your regular strategy, or it could be something you do before you are finished with your strategy. Here’s an example:

After I started my business, I was approached by a non-profit to sponsor the local ice rink with a banner. The pixels were barely dry on my LLC paperwork, my website wasn’t launched, but my logo and branding was shiny and new. I was excited to get out there and it was an affordable investment. Did I have any demographic info? No. Was this advertisement in line with my brand? Not sure.

One banner please and thank you.

So why did I do it?

I wanted to do something to promote my business and feel like I was moving forward. It was a low-risk way to do so. I also wanted to determine if sponsorship banners would bring in business. I knew I would be approached in the future by the gajillion non-profits around here and it would be great to have a baseline.

Most importantly, the ice rink is an important part of this community and I wanted The Brandstalk to support it. I’m a recreational ice skater, my husband is a life-long hockey player and it’s always nice to have variety in winter activities in Teton Valley. As I put together the pieces of The Brandstalk, one of my intentions was to share my success with Teton Valley non-profits that supported causes I was passionate about.

No, I won’t yell at you if you Spritz. Or buy a couple radio ads to drum up interest. Or order promotional stress balls with your logo on it. Just ask a few questions first:

• Can I afford it if it doesn’t work? This is not just about money. Think about things like time, production and visual impact.

• How will I track the response?

• What other benefits might I receive other than straight business? Think about impressions (eyeballs), chatter, goodwill and experimental data.

 And of course some questions for after:

• Did it distract from my brand?

• Or did it auto-magically contribute to my brand promise?

• What can I improve for next time?

• What did I learn so I can make better calls on the next Spritz?

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4 Things I Learned from Teaching a Marketing Class

I recently taught a marketing class through Eastern Idaho Technical College— “Marketing Jump Start.” The concept was to present Marketing 101-type information and help people move on with the next communications phase or project within their business.

Let’s back up. While I don’t consider myself shy and I don’t get anxious about speaking in public, I’m not a natural teacher. I always struggled when I had to train co-workers. I have always needed extensive prep when getting ready for sales meetings, trade shows, client meetings and work presentations to make sure I was clear, didn’t over-talk or sound scripted. I worked hard to anticipate questions or objections and prepare responses.

Agreeing to teach Marketing Jump Start was a bit of a stretch for me, but I was eager to do it. I knew I would learn a lot from the preparation of the class, and even more from teaching it. Here are a few top experiences I had during my time as Professor E.

• Distill down info into bite size pieces.

This is just like marketing communications. But I didn’t know that before I started. I thought teaching would be dramatically different than talking about a product or service to a customer, but at a basic level, it’s really not. I took the concept I was teaching and peeled back the layers until I got to the reason why it’s worth talking about. This is the same with your product and brand- figure out what’s really important, why people should care about it and build from there.

• Use “strategic teaching techniques.”

The Coordinator came up to me after class and said:

“I was only in here for 3 minutes and I saw you using 3 key teaching techniques.”

Me: “Ummm….what?”

It was a happy accident. I didn’t even know what a “teaching technique” was. I should have done some research on “teaching techniques” beforehand, but I was so focused on having good content and being prepared, I figured the delivery would fall into place. I suppose concentrating on content and preparation is a decent teaching technique in a way.

• Public speaking is an art and a skill.

Thanks to a high school speech class where I yakked about Neil Diamond and provided a “How-to” speech on ear piercing, a former career as a tour guide, years of sales meetings, attending trade shows, showing up at networking events and going on sales calls for my own new business, I’m no stranger to talking to strangers.

That doesn’t mean I’m good at it. If you think you have enough experience, you probably need way more. And the only way to get more is to do more. I’m going to continue to work on both the art part and the skill part.

• It was just plain FUN.

It was like having 4 informational interviews at once. I got to learn about other people’s businesses, what they are afraid of, what annoys them. They were open about what they could and couldn’t get done. They asked questions, offered answers, even for my own business. At 8:57 when there was 3 minutes left of class, I was bummed that it had to end.

I won’t hesitate to teach the spring session if I am asked and I look forward to adding to my list of things I learned. When’s the last time you did something outside your comfort zone? What was your most colorful lesson?

New Resource for Local Business Pros (OR WANNA-BES!)

Are you stuck on a business project? Have an idea, but don’t know where to start? Looking for feedback? Need accountability for work milestones?

Join The Biz Posse! We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at the Driggs Library (79 N. Main St.). This group is open to business owners, entrepreneurs and everyone in between- even students looking to explore the world of business ownership and management.

This is an open, casual format with a fun, creative, motivating group. The next session is on November 15- see you there!