How to Really Benefit from Associations (Part 2 of 3-Part Series)

This is Part II in a 3-part series. For your convenience, theentire series is online here:· Part I: “How to Develop Industry Contacts”http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations1.html· Part II: “Tips For Improved Networking in Associations”http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations2.html· Part III: “Researching Associations in Your Industries”http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations3.htmlPart II: TIPS FOR IMPROVED NETWORKING IN ASSOCIATIONS1. Give people a break - - as much as possible! Association folksare just as busy or more so than any other business people. Manyare doing double-duty with volunteer work on top of theirregularly paid work everyday. So, for example, if someone saidthey’d call & didn’t, open your next call to that person withsomething like, “You’ve probably been super busy, so I justwanted to touch base for a sec….”2. Membership Directory – Two words: USE IT. Call people from it,email them, send them postcards. Jot notes in the margins. Writenotes from meetings & other group events in the margins to helpdescribe members; like: “the gent with the cowboy hat who satnext to me.”3. Participate – join in discussions, introduce yourself atmeetings, ask questions, etc. Don’t leave all the “thinking andplanning” up to the Board members. Share any resources,suggestions and ideas that you have that may help group members.4. Reach Out - Not only volunteer, but reach out to fellow groupmembers. Everyone goes through job stress, family situations,“bad hair” days, etc. Don’t just be a “good time” friend orcontact only.5. Lemons into Lemonade – Reach out; make lemonade out of lemons.For example, don’t be a gossip. It’s easy in a group situation toget caught up in an issue and be opposed to another member.Remember to be fair and allow others to voice their opinions. Youdon’t always have to agree with everyone. And you won’t. Butdisagree in an agreeable manner. For example, if someone else’sidea is voted in instead of yours, don’t cop an attitude & dropout or quit the group. Give the other person’s idea a try andmaybe write up a report on it for a future presentation andinclude your suggestions for improvements.Note: If you did happen to mess up and inadvertently cop anattitude and insult someone or something, take a time out. Pickyourself up, dust yourself off, apologize / make amends and moveon. No one is perfect. And no one expects you to be. Kindness andapologies are always welcome. That “Do Unto Others” Golden Ruleworks wonders and is appreciated in groups worldwide, regardlessof the industry.6. Grow / Joint Ventures (JVs) – Generally groups have a Nationwideaffiliation and affiliations with other states / regions. Getinvolved (slow and steady) with their overall concerns. And stayabreast of their issues when possible. Reach out to the otheraffiliations and network, too. They often offer educational andother industry opportunities, and often with an outlook that canenhance your own, coming from another point of view. Whenpossible, seek joint venture (JV) opportunities.JV tips:·Don’t be afraid to ask.·Put your request in writing (for the general public, unlessyou’re in a hi-tech field).·Treat your request like a proposal & include past work you’vedone in this field, samples, references, additional resources,your credentials, etc. with your request. Prepackage info intoautoresponders http://presssuccess.com/AutoPilot so it can besent upon request.· Be flexible. For example, others may have already askedsimilarly, so you might be offered a “group” project instead. Ormaybe a Board member has a totally different idea but with yoursame guidelines, so maybe you could slant your proposal a littledifferently.·Have patience & follow up in a professional manner. Reaching a“Board-approved” decision can take awhile to get throughchannels. So sit tight and touch base every once in awhile.·“No” doesn’t mean forever. Maybe your idea could work nextquarter or next year. Or maybe your proposal could be altered andresubmitted. No’s are not personal in nature. So treat them likeregular business proposals and follow up for feedback andsuggestions. Maybe there is something else you could do thatwould be a much better fit.·Refer to "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," byStephen R. Covey. And focus on Habit 5, “Seek First toUnderstand, then to be Understood.”·Keep up. Keep educating yourself and your helpers. For example,inexpensive company subscriptions to a monthly ebook clubhttp://presssuccess.com/wholesale and the jvAlert PerpetualLearning Series www.jvAlert.com/LearningSeries.aspx?id=1805 helpto catch up with the latest scoop -- what works and what doesn’twork from top-level marketers & industry leaders.SPECIALThis is Part II in a 3-part series. For your convenience, theentire series is online here:· Part I: “How to Develop Industry Contacts”http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations1.html· Part II: “Tips For Improved Networking in Associations”http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations2.html· Part III: “Researching Associations in Your Industries”http://movingaheadcommunications.com/associations3.htmlPart II: TIPS FOR IMPROVED NETWORKING IN ASSOCIATIONS1. Give people a break - - as much as possible! Association folksare just as busy or more so than any other business people. Manyare doing double-duty with volunteer work on top of theirregularly paid work everyday. So, for example, if someone saidthey’d call & didn’t, open your next call to that person withsomething like, “You’ve probably been super busy, so I justwanted to touch base for a sec….”2. Membership Directory – Two words: USE IT. Call people from it,email them, send them postcards. Jot notes in the margins. Writenotes from meetings & other group events in the margins to helpdescribe members; like: “the gent with the cowboy hat who satnext to me.”3. Participate – join in discussions, introduce yourself atmeetings, ask questions, etc. Don’t leave all the “thinking andplanning” up to the Board members. Share any resources,suggestions and ideas that you have that may help group members.4. Reach Out - Not only volunteer, but reach out to fellow groupmembers. Everyone goes through job stress, family situations,“bad hair” days, etc. Don’t just be a “good time” friend orcontact only.5. Lemons into Lemonade – Reach out; make lemonade out of lemons.For example, don’t be a gossip. It’s easy in a group situation toget caught up in an issue and be opposed to another member.Remember to be fair and allow others to voice their opinions. Youdon’t always have to agree with everyone. And you won’t. Butdisagree in an agreeable manner. For example, if someone else’sidea is voted in instead of yours, don’t cop an attitude & dropout or quit the group. Give the other person’s idea a try andmaybe write up a report on it for a future presentation andinclude your suggestions for improvements.Note: If you did happen to mess up and inadvertently cop anattitude and insult someone or something, take a time out. Pickyourself up, dust yourself off, apologize / make amends and moveon. No one is perfect. And no one expects you to be. Kindness andapologies are always welcome. That “Do Unto Others” Golden Ruleworks wonders and is appreciated in groups worldwide, regardlessof the industry.6. Grow / Joint Ventures (JVs) – Generally groups have a Nationwideaffiliation and affiliations with other states / regions. Getinvolved (slow and steady) with their overall concerns. And stayabreast of their issues when possible. Reach out to the otheraffiliations and network, too. They often offer educational andother industry opportunities, and often with an outlook that canenhance your own, coming from another point of view. Whenpossible, seek joint venture (JV) opportunities.JV tips:·Don’t be afraid to ask.·Put your request in writing (for the general public, unlessyou’re in a hi-tech field).·Treat your request like a proposal & include past work you’vedone in this field, samples, references, additional resources,your credentials, etc. with your request. Prepackage info intoautoresponders http://presssuccess.com/AutoPilot so it can besent upon request.· Be flexible. For example, others may have already askedsimilarly, so you might be offered a “group” project instead. Ormaybe a Board member has a totally different idea but with yoursame guidelines, so maybe you could slant your proposal a littledifferently.·Have patience & follow up in a professional manner. Reaching a“Board-approved” decision can take awhile to get throughchannels. So sit tight and touch base every once in awhile.·“No” doesn’t mean forever. Maybe your idea could work nextquarter or next year. Or maybe your proposal could be altered andresubmitted. No’s are not personal in nature. So treat them likeregular business proposals and follow up for feedback andsuggestions. Maybe there is something else you could do thatwould be a much better fit.·Refer to "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," byStephen R. Covey. And focus on Habit 5, “Seek First toUnderstand, then to be Understood.”·Keep up. Keep educating yourself and your helpers. For example,inexpensive company subscriptions to a monthly ebook clubhttp://presssuccess.com/wholesale and the jvAlert PerpetualLearning Series www.jvAlert.com/LearningSeries.aspx?id=1805 helpto catch up with the latest scoop -- what works and what doesn’twork from top-level marketers & industry leaders.READER SPECIALSFor a 30-day no-cost trial of ProfitAuto, sign up online athttp://presssuccess.com/AutoPilot . 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