How to be good at networking. There are
definitely some tried-and-true tips
versus coming in I've got you know 20
business cards and I'm gonna make sure
everybody I talk to you gets one in
their hands I would that approach I
would I would just put that up have them
available but wait just wait and learn
about other people today we are speaking
with an entrepreneur who runs her own
photography business she is the
co-founder of Twin Cities wedding and
event professionals which she started in
2009 with Matthew sherry the group has
been going strong ever since and with
over a decade's experience in networking
she has a lot of insights to share we
are speaking with none other than
Michele Torborg so okay this whole word
networking I mean it's kind of a
buzzword we hear it all the time
you know Webster's dictionary says the
definition of networking is the exchange
of information or services among
individuals groups or institutions
I like their little addendum though they
so specifically the cultivation of
productive relationships for employment
or business it just sounds so formal and
that's I guess why I'm shut laughing
about it because oh I had just my
outlook on networking and just having it
be a piece of my life and the business
that I have and and that sort of thing
I'm happy that that's not the definition
that is about it because it sounds a
little stuffy I don't know I think that
there's I think that we definitely
overuse it in business like network
network network it is such of a buzzword
so so I'm curious you you started a
networking group TCW p10 says what
Internet professionals you started that
ten years ago or you know whenever
people are listening to this you started
in 2009 prac so you have a lot of
experience in networking how would you
define it according to how you your
group doesn't according to how you do it
with all of your experience and that's
that
a long time to be networking right when
I think back to when we started this a
poor group that's the handful of us back
in 2009 I mean the recession was going
on and businesses were struggling and I
mean when we started this networking
group as Twin Cities wedding and event
professionals I mean we were looking for
business that we knew the strongest
business is word-of-mouth referrals and
how do you get that well you gotta you
gotta get to know people they have to
get to know you trust you build those
relationships be able to refer you make
recommendations to each other so that is
at the core of what this group is all
about is being able to have those word
about referrals being able to refer each
other how do you be able to do that is
that you go to network and you get to
know people and you build those
relationships you spend time with them
and you get to learn about each other
and what are their services that they
provide and what type of clients do they
are they looking for and how you can you
know connect people with that and the
more you give and and learn about other
people's businesses and how you can help
them is really when you receive the
benefit and that comes back to you
from your 10 years experience how do you
be good at it like what's that what's
some of the secret sauce that you would
recommend for people oh that's what I
would I mean being approachable is
So key. smiling and just being
approachable in your body language be up
and around be willing to mingle around
and talk to people is a would be a real
big tip that I would highly recommend is
don't go sit down right away actually
mingle around as much as you can during
that open networking time and just try
to you know jump in on some
conversations but that are going on and
meeting people and showing that genuine
interest in them you will find that if
you do that that is going to be versus
coming in I've got you know 20 business
cards and I'm going to make sure
everybody I talk to gets one in their
hand I would that approach I would I
would just put that up Oh extra business
cards have them available but wait just
wait and learn about other people and
then you can give them that information
you know all those it presents but that
expectation of I'm going to get my
business out there and one or two
meetings or events that I go to it's
just going to take time to build
relationships that if you go in with
that expectation to try to just I'm
going to meet one person I'm going to
get to find out about what their
services are I'm going to actually find
out if they'll do coffee or if I can
visit their venue or something outside
of here
to kind of make that a goal and work
toward that and just getting to know
other people in the meet somebody new
get to know about their services so
don't take the business cards and shove
them in people's faces people don't do
that but I think it's just knowing it
yeah just going in there it's like I'm
going in there to to meet people and
learn about their businesses and and
maybe how I can help them that is a if
you can just that mind mindset is very
powerful
I can talk about home Terry Uy Lennon
and Amy Coppersmith have they came
together and they wanted to help a
couple that military couple and they out
of collaborating and they came up with a
Fairy Godmother Project where they gift
one military one wedding to a military
couple a year it's a beautiful thing and
yeah and then until resources are you
and she's a florist and you let him
floral in events and Amy Coppersmith
Coppersmith Photography and those two
gals
yeah they've got a couple years under
their belt with this project and that
has been one of the wonder you know a
huge wonderful thing that I've been able
to see come out of this some
relationships and them being able to
know other vendors and resources that
they could pull on is that the testimony
to networking and collaborating and
creativity and a giving spirit you know
to pull things like projects like that
together it's a wall thing for me to
witness no absolutely it makes me happy
have you seen people come in with
because I know that I've had friends
specifically that have come to the group
to network for business and they didn't
see results in the first time so they
never came back and I look at that and I
shake my head a little bit and you must
shake your head with that a lot I would
assume
well it's just yes because it's that
expectation that's never going to be met
and because you're not you're not
building any relationships in that short
of a time frame
please I mean you really networking and
to do it well you're in it for the long
haul
and that is just you just have to know
that that's got to be part of it it's
not an instant quick when do you in
general and in your experience like I
know you say long haul but is there when
do you start seeing can I really see
that cusp is like that 9 to 9 months to
a year which I know it sounds like a
really long time but really our events
are once a month so if you think about
that is you know we're talking 9 9 to 12
times of being at an event and getting
to have people start to know recognize
understand who you and know what your
services are to know you and be able to
recommend you and a lot of people quit
right on the cusp of like you're just
starting to really get known in the
group and people are you know so that
would be my my piece too is just kind of
stay in there a little bit longer
because a lot of times people stop
coming right on the time frame when they
would actually start to see the fruit of
and I can speak to that too just to echo
it really quickly I mean I myself I am
not specifically in the events industry
but I you know through the work that
I've been doing with you at sea Twp for
the past year really once like like you
said around the 9-month point I was
noticing because when I'm at events you
know I could easily move around the room
and and do some of the things that I do
but it's getting harder because a lot of
people are stopping me and they know who
I am and they want to talk business
right as a yep you're known you know
remember you and yep so now you're in
that beautiful place of where yep the
where you recognize then you're known
and people want to you know interact
with you and and that sort of thing so
Hank soon yeah it's just gonna flag to
like we only have a couple of minutes
left is there anything that you would
really like people to munch on or think
about before we let you go
yeah I mean the thing that I mean what I
love about networking and which is just
as you started this thing with you gave
a definition of a man what I love about
networking it it is connecting people
it's creating those win-win
relationships that happen and then that
creativity that comes that takes off and
goes to a level that I just couldn't do
on my own so networking is if you aren't
doing business on your own or your job
or that sort of thing networking allows
you to meet people become and being
hired and to grow will solve problems to
when you can come to a safe place and
people understand you know what your
what your job demands are what your
needs are and that sort of thing too or
you just have things that you need to
bounce off somebody else that you know
in the same type of industry and that
sort of thing so it's really a good yeah
support system as well and it can even
grow I mean networking and what we
become I feel this group is like a work
family and we know each other and we
take care of each other and we have each
other's backs and I mean some of the
relationships that I have formed and not
just me I mean there's story after story
of people in our group I mean some of
those people have met and they
vacationed together I mean there's just
it can go on and on but what I love is
that we yes and we work on certain
projects and that sort of thing but I
mean we've done a fundraiser one time
that this group pulled together and did
and one of our members her sister was
has cancer and we decided that we were
just going to help out and we we pulled
together the fundraiser and there were
just some beautiful people that came in
I mean Tammy with Muddy Paws Cheesecake
and
Hope Glen Farm sponsored the event
Paula and Michael you know and Dana Allison with Keyed Up Events I mean she spearheaded that
thing I went to we went I'm able to do
it without that girl she just came in I
mean we had a live option Wow online
I've heard that she's great yeah so I
mean there was a pieces that came
together but it's because we were we
network and we collaborate together and
people's strength then can come forth
and shine and I mean just things come
together that you can't do on your own
so that was just one of those beautiful
testimony to it you know and we've had I
mean some something to that we have ways
to support each other we've had a gal
about tada
serious health issue had some surgery
and that sort of thing wasn't able to
drive yet but she wanted to come to an
event was hoping to get find a way to
maybe have somebody you know rideshare
with yeah because our group is well
connected and we have these amazing
resources a cauldron a with grenades
limousines we were able to have you know
a limousine come get that gal and bring
her to the event but some of our people
the people that are in this group they
do there are some amazing hearts in this
group that want to come alongside people
and encourage one another and just let
each other up and help each other
succeed I mean that is really the core
of what you will find this group to be
which makes me really proud that's
awesome it's probably probably speaks to
why you guys have been around for a
while tube well thank you so much
Michelle looking forward to seeing you
at the next event great thank you so
much
to learn more about Michelle
log on to delight photography comm or TC
WEP com
