Product Description
Tells the author's personal story of how networking changed the way he worked and gave him a much more rewarding work and social life. This book gives insights and advice to those people who are using or will use online and face-to-face networking to further their business and personal goals.
From the Publisher
A Girlfriend in Every City is Geert Conard’s Networking Diary. In 2004, Geert was managing a Computer Store in his native Belgium. He had also built a network of computer technicians across Belgium. In April 2004 he joined LinkedIn at the invitation of a computer technician he knew. That same technician then invited Geert to join Ecademy. “Within the hour, I filled out my fifty words, uploaded a picture and started writing my profile. A profile I have updated almost every week, since.â€
That day was the beginning of Geert’s ‘new’ life as a networker. To become a networker, he had to overcome his fear of walking into a room full of strangers, to learn how to connect with people online and, in the process, he discovered that his profile attracted members of the opposite sex â€" for networking purposes, of course.
Geert now networks internationally, is co-Leader of Ecademy Belgium and is a life member of Ecademy. He not only walks into rooms full of strangers but now, regularly, stands up and speaks to them as well.
If you want to know how he does this â€" A Girlfriend in Every City is the book for you.
About the Author
Geert Conard has spent a lifetime as Sales Manager in the computer business, focussed on the SME market. Additionally he has been a successful ICT journalist. As well as selling, he also managed and coached a group of freelance ICT professionals. As a group, their services are still used today by partners such as software houses and Internet service providers. His cooperative leadership style has always been effective in gaining respect from staff and clients.
Geert is very active in social business networking. sinbce he joined online networks such as Ecademy and LinkedIn in early 2004, he is currently developing his advanced network coaching skils, and is gaining an international reputation. Today Geert is one of Belgium's Top Networkers on most online networks.
Excerpted from Girlfriend in Every City, A: My Networking Diary by Geert Conard. Copyright © 2005. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I chose to start this book with this little story that illustrates the power of sharing. In business networking the only thing that always works is ‘Winning by Sharing’.
It’s not about the business, it’s about the people. If I can teach you this by the time you reach the end of this book, my mission will be accomplished.
You should read this book because the way we conduct our business is about to change. Networking is becoming more and more important. A lot of startups don’t limit themselves to a small geographical area like it used to be, they will sell nationally or even worldwide. Publicity and marketing is almost impossible for them. Through networking these startups will attract new customers and build their reputation.
Ask yourself these questions … You probably own a car. Why did you buy this car from that particular car dealer? You probably also own a computer. If you didn’t buy it in a supermarket or online, why did you buy it from that particular computer dealer?
In most cases the answer is … because you got a good reference for that particular store. Someone told you the prices as well as the service of those dealers were excellent. This behaviour is often referred to as ‘word of mouth publicity’. Picture yourself in the shoes of those dealers. Wouldn’t it be great if 99% of your business would just walk in the door this way? At this very moment more than 90% of my new business is coming through online and offline networking on the websites described in this book.
Networking will become the most important skill you need to succeed in your business. I believe that it should be taught in high schools, to prepare the students for a life in the business world. Even more, students in their last years of high school should already start building their networks. A lot of people start networking when they need it (e.g. to find a new job) but that’s totally wrong. You should have your network available when you need it, so you should start building a network as early as possible.
Networking is all about building your reputation and gaining trust from the people within your network. You can achieve it through online networking, but attending offline networking events is also essential to make closer connections with the people in your network.
And remember, networking is not selling. This is the Nr.1 error made by (all) people new to networking. Networking is about people and relations. Think about dating websites. Dating websites were probably the very first networking websites. The current (social) business networks are actually a kind of ‘dating sites’ for business people who search for the right partners for their projects or services. Further in this book I will also explain the importance of 1-on-1 networking meetings. These will leverage the value of your connection to a level you wouldn’t expect.
I wrote this book because of the reactions and comments I got on my blogs on Ecademy. In those blogs I wrote down my experiences as a hyperactive but novice networker. I achieved a lot in my first year and try to pay this forward by teaching other people how to get value from networking.
By reading this book you will take a journey with me through this first year of online networking. You will experience the progress I made and hopefully learn something from it. Networking is about being yourself, being honest, showing the real you. If you wear a mask while networking you won’t reach a thing. The most important lesson is that you mustn’t forget to enjoy the ride!
Networking is not about me standing on a box and telling you how to do stuff. Networking is a two way communication. We learn from each other. Feel free to send me an email with your comments on this book. My email address is geert.conard@itconsult.be. Most of all, tell me about your personal experiences with networking. Tell me about your dreams. I love to hear people’s stories. Every 1-on-1 meeting is a story about a dream. Network with me on Ecademy, OpenBC and LinkedIn … connect to my networks and get to know me.
I’m not a professional writer, although I have written columns for ICT magazines. English is not my native language, but I’m addicted to the UK and loved writing this book in English. I write my stories in a language that holds the middle between written and spoken language which might not appeal to certain people. I use it because it’s the easiest way for me to tell my story.
This book is based on my experiences with online networking during the timeframe May 2004 â€" August 2005. I describe my experiences with following online networks and online tools, not because they are necessarily the very best, but because these were the tools I used and still use today.
It’s not about the business, it’s about the people. If I can teach you this by the time you reach the end of this book, my mission will be accomplished.
You should read this book because the way we conduct our business is about to change. Networking is becoming more and more important. A lot of startups don’t limit themselves to a small geographical area like it used to be, they will sell nationally or even worldwide. Publicity and marketing is almost impossible for them. Through networking these startups will attract new customers and build their reputation.
Ask yourself these questions … You probably own a car. Why did you buy this car from that particular car dealer? You probably also own a computer. If you didn’t buy it in a supermarket or online, why did you buy it from that particular computer dealer?
In most cases the answer is … because you got a good reference for that particular store. Someone told you the prices as well as the service of those dealers were excellent. This behaviour is often referred to as ‘word of mouth publicity’. Picture yourself in the shoes of those dealers. Wouldn’t it be great if 99% of your business would just walk in the door this way? At this very moment more than 90% of my new business is coming through online and offline networking on the websites described in this book.
Networking will become the most important skill you need to succeed in your business. I believe that it should be taught in high schools, to prepare the students for a life in the business world. Even more, students in their last years of high school should already start building their networks. A lot of people start networking when they need it (e.g. to find a new job) but that’s totally wrong. You should have your network available when you need it, so you should start building a network as early as possible.
Networking is all about building your reputation and gaining trust from the people within your network. You can achieve it through online networking, but attending offline networking events is also essential to make closer connections with the people in your network.
And remember, networking is not selling. This is the Nr.1 error made by (all) people new to networking. Networking is about people and relations. Think about dating websites. Dating websites were probably the very first networking websites. The current (social) business networks are actually a kind of ‘dating sites’ for business people who search for the right partners for their projects or services. Further in this book I will also explain the importance of 1-on-1 networking meetings. These will leverage the value of your connection to a level you wouldn’t expect.
I wrote this book because of the reactions and comments I got on my blogs on Ecademy. In those blogs I wrote down my experiences as a hyperactive but novice networker. I achieved a lot in my first year and try to pay this forward by teaching other people how to get value from networking.
By reading this book you will take a journey with me through this first year of online networking. You will experience the progress I made and hopefully learn something from it. Networking is about being yourself, being honest, showing the real you. If you wear a mask while networking you won’t reach a thing. The most important lesson is that you mustn’t forget to enjoy the ride!
Networking is not about me standing on a box and telling you how to do stuff. Networking is a two way communication. We learn from each other. Feel free to send me an email with your comments on this book. My email address is geert.conard@itconsult.be. Most of all, tell me about your personal experiences with networking. Tell me about your dreams. I love to hear people’s stories. Every 1-on-1 meeting is a story about a dream. Network with me on Ecademy, OpenBC and LinkedIn … connect to my networks and get to know me.
I’m not a professional writer, although I have written columns for ICT magazines. English is not my native language, but I’m addicted to the UK and loved writing this book in English. I write my stories in a language that holds the middle between written and spoken language which might not appeal to certain people. I use it because it’s the easiest way for me to tell my story.
This book is based on my experiences with online networking during the timeframe May 2004 â€" August 2005. I describe my experiences with following online networks and online tools, not because they are necessarily the very best, but because these were the tools I used and still use today.
