They say that behind every great man there is always a great woman. Is that true in my case? I don’t know if I’m a great man (tall, yes), but I’m certain that I have a GREAT WOMAN.
I met Charo almost 15 years ago and she captivated me straight away, not only because she is attractive but because she is a woman with drive, energetic, a true professional, fun, warm… so barely 11 months went by before I was at the altar with her.
She is my personal adviser, so I owe my elegance to her good advice, and thanks to her I always take the utmost care with my etiquette. But I’ve also learnt a lot from her when it comes to making new contacts, because whenever we can, we often go to events together to network.
Why do I consider her a true networker?
1. EMPATHY: a key trait for being a good networker. She connects quickly with the person in front of her, listens carefully, pays attention to the other person and looks for the topics they enjoy talking about. I’ve heard countless compliments from her clients and former clients on a good many occasions.
2. DIRECT: she knows what she wants to achieve, but she also finds out about the person in front of her beforehand so that, once the ice is broken, she can get straight to the point and offer a benefit to the client or the person she’s talking to. She doesn’t spin tall tales or beat about the bush. And if she spots someone interesting, she doesn’t hesitate to approach them, elegantly, of course.
3. PERSISTENT: as before, she is clear about her goals, where she wants to get to or whom she wants to reach, and she is methodical: she calls or gets in touch by email or through professional networks until she reaches the key person. She insists and looks for the best route, but without being pushy.
4. FOLLOW-UP: when Charo wins a client she usually wins them for life, because she generally builds a long-term relationship. She gets involved with the client from the very beginning and stays in touch with him or her even if they change jobs. She doesn’t limit herself to talking only about work, so she quickly earns her clients’ trust.
5. PROFESSIONALISM: related to the above, she takes her work very seriously and her top priority is giving the client the best; she strives for excellence, which is why her contacts constantly recommend her.
6. GENEROSITY: she doesn’t go around collecting contacts or asking for favours; instead, if she can help you she doesn’t hesitate and immediately puts you in touch with a key contact who could be useful to you, without expecting anything in return. If you’ve helped her, she’s doubly grateful.
7. ELEGANCE: something I’ve learnt a great deal about from her. She is always perfectly dressed and coordinated, taking care over every detail of her clothes and accessories, so she makes sure she always gives the best impression.
8. CHARM: similar to, but not the same as, empathy. This is an interesting aspect when it comes to making good contacts. It’s better with good humour, isn’t it? Drawing a smile from the person in front of you, but naturally. Another trait that defines her.
9. NEGOTIATOR: she has plenty of experience, having spent more than 10 years at XEROX Spain, a great school of sales, dealing with key accounts, and she still works with key accounts today. She does consultative selling, so she looks for a win-win in any negotiation and knows how to bring value to the client or the person in front of her.
10. ACTIVE AND PROACTIVE: she doesn’t stay in the office waiting for the phone to ring or an order to arrive; instead she is constantly searching the internet, directories, the business press, trade magazines, associations, XING and LinkedIn for interesting contacts, companies and events where she can reach key people. Thanks to this she’s always recommending interesting events and conferences for me to attend, and she goes too, of course.
So whenever we can, or whenever we’re both interested in the same event, we go together, which makes us quite a dangerous pair, since we love networking.
If you can, do the same with your partner, because that way when you get home late they won’t say:
“Oh yes, networking, was it? What you’ve actually been doing is having a few drinks with work as your excuse, come on…”
*or even…
*
“Go on, take the rubbish down, walk the dog, who hasn’t had a wee all day, bring me back a packet of cigarettes, and if you want dinner you can sort yourself out”
Well, if you’re looking for a great professional, an expert in digital printing, digitisation and document services outsourcing, and now in the insurance sector, here she is on XING or on LinkedIn.
Best wishes and Happy Networking
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