Want good word of mouth: Just be Convenient

Be convenient. Which phone call would YOU return?

"Hi - umm, this is Steve, I got your business card last week and you said I should call you this week to talk. Maybe I'll call back later.
Thanks."

"Hi, this is Steve Ong, it's 9:30 Monday morning. You and I met last week at the BioFinance seminar. I was the gentleman who went to Queens University as well; you and I also talked about John Daley's career as a golfer. Robert, you had asked me to call you this week about some opportunities with your company. My number is ____ - __________ . I'll be in this morning and out this afternoon. If you do get my voicemail, please leave a good time for you and I'll call you back then. I appreciate the chance to touch base with you Robert, again, it's Steve Ong, my number is ____ - __________. Have a great day."

Conversation Starter

Dear Dave,

I have been trying to network the past couple of weeks and now I have accumulated a lot of phone numbers. However, I am not sure how to call these people and start up a conversation regarding a possible job opportunity. Do you have any advice?

N.

Dear N,

Two weeks of networking should have gotten you a lot more than just phone numbers. If you met them already at a function or seminar, you should know:

- what their greatest challenge is
- what they like about their job
- what they do for fun on weekends

Use any of these to touch base again with this individual and bridge the gap to positioning you as a solution to their needs.

If all you have is a name and a phone number, do you have a name of the person who gave you the number? If so, try this:

"Hello, Dr. Brown? My name is Dave Howlett. I am looking to acquire some information into [their industry]; Susan Smith recommended you as someone having insights in this industry and into some opportunities where someone of my background and education could have a fit. I would really love the opportunity to speak with you for a few minutes."

If people upset you

Ever get frustrated or upset with certain people? They don't return your calls or emails and you assume this is because:

- you may have done something wrong to upset
or anger them
- they don't like or respect you
- they think they are better than you.

Whenever I feel this way, I think back to the wise words of my friend Pastor Joe Paluschak (he provided counselling to the rescue workers during 911 at the World Trade Towers).

"You would care less about what other people thought about you, if you knew just how little time they spent thinking about you."