Networking: It’s What You Do AFTER the Meeting!

by Dayna Steele, Vollmer Community Manager 

As an author and a speaker, I am often called upon to talk about networking -- like there’s a big secret to how it’s done.  It’s actually quite simple.  Networking is not about getting out and meeting people. Networking is about what you do after you meet people, the follow-through and keeping in touch.

Speaker, author and Help A Reporter creator Peter Shankman likes to tell the story of Paramount Pictures executive Barry Diller. Barry used to go through his Rolodex every day and call 10 different filmmakers and others, just to touch base and find out what they were working on and how they were doing. These filmmakers and others often thought of Barry first when they had a hot project. Many credit the huge success of Paramount Pictures during this time to Barry’s daily calls.

You may not be Barry Diller, but there is no reason you can’t do the same thing he did. Successful relationships, business or personal, take time and nurturing.

Here are just a few things that should be a part of your networking repertoire:

• Write a personal note after an in-person meeting – either to say thank you or a simple, “It was nice to meet you (or see you).” An email is fine, but a handwritten note stands out more.
• On Facebook? Check each morning to see who is having a birthday and leave a message on their wall or actually make a personal call.
• See an article or blog post that makes you think of someone? Copy the URL and send it to that person with a note: “This made me think of you.” We ALL like to know others are thinking about us.
• ALWAYS write a thank-you   note when anyone does something nice for you – an introduction, a client lead, free tickets to something, a meal, whatever.  If you are doing things right, you should be writing at least five thank-you notes a week -- if not more.
• Did you talk about a specific thing or information the other person needed that you had?  Follow through with that promised information or item within 48 hours, even if it’s just to say you are still gathering the information.
• Go through your network – your address book, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter – and touch base with several people each day. This keeps you top of mind just like the  aforementioned Mr. Diller.

Here’s a recent example of how I work.  Earlier this week, a local food critic invited me to join her at one of Houston’s newest restaurants.  Management wined and dined us thoroughly. (It’s always nice to go to a restaurant with a food critic).  I followed up with a thank-you note and a copy of my book to the restaurant manager. The food critic and I had talked about my husband’s new novel, so she got a thank-you note and a copy of the book, Specific Impulse.  I posted the pictures of the food and information on the new restaurant on Facebook, with links to the establishment and the chef.  Not to mention, I’ll be back – the food was amazing!

Networking is not for sissies. It takes work and it takes work on a regular, daily basis. Who have you networked with today?

Dayna Steele works with Vollmer Public Relations as a media consultant, Community Manager and editor of the Vollmer e-newsletter, Vollocity. She is the author of Rock to the Top: What I Learned about Success from the World’s Greatest Rock Stars. Her new book, I’m With the Band: Network Your Way into Anything, Anywhere, Anytime!, is scheduled for release in January 2011. AOL has called her “…one of the foremost experts on career networking.” For more information, visit www.daynasteele.com or network with her on Facebook on the Steeleworkers page!

Up on Capitol Hill with Vollmer

Vollmer Client Helix Promotes Plan for Faster Response to Offshore Oil Spills 
By Jay Andrew, Vollmer Public Relations

It's been more than three months since the Deepwater Horizon exploded at the Macondo reservoir in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Since that time, there's been much speculation about the future of offshore drilling and whether or not, despite decades of rigorous attention to safety and technology, the industry is prepared to deal with another event of this magnitude. The tragedy triggered an array of developments, including the split of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) into two agencies, a moratorium on deepwater drilling, a backlog of permits for shallow water drilling and a partisan squabble on the lifting of industry liability caps, an action that could potentially drive smaller drillers and operators out of the Gulf.

In late May, Vollmer began working with Helix Energy Solutions to develop a public and government relations strategy that would leverage Helix’s firsthand experience on what it views as the missing component in oil spill response policy: containment. Helix asserts that through the use of existing technology and equipment, it is possible to design a flexible solution for quicker response and better containment in the future. Indeed, as one of the world's leading well intervention companies, Helix currently has four key assets participating in the response to the Deepwater Horizon blowout.

Vollmer recruited a lobbying partner in Washington, Bracewell & Giuliani in an effort to shape policymaking at the intersection of Washington's energy, environmental and maritime circles. The successful communication strategy incorporated targeted  meetings with Congressional members and staffers and a series of interviews with high-profile media outlets, including The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, CNBC, Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.  One key result of the effort was language contributed to two separate bills, one introduced through the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the other through the House Science Committee. 

Now there's been a new lot cast in Washington by the major oil companies who want to accelerate the engineering, construction and deployment of equipment designed to improve capabilities to contain a potential future underwater blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.  On the policymaking front, it seems likely that partisan disagreements in the Senate will delay passage of legislation responding to the Gulf oil spill until at least September, when Congress returns from its summer recess.

Article links:

The Houston Chronicle
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/deepwaterhorizon/7063412.html

The Houston Chronicle NewsWatch: Energy
http://blogs.chron.com/newswatchenergy/archives/2010/06/feedback_from_d.html

Reuters

http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-49443920100619

Vollmer Helps Launch BuyWithMe In Dallas, Houston and Austin

By Meredith McKee, Vollmer Public Relations

Vollmer has just started working with BuyWithMe, the premier community buying website that connects shoppers with the best local deals and offers from leading local merchants.   The site is active in Dallas and Houston and is expected to launch in Austin in the next few weeks.

The Texas launch follows the company’s popularity and success in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Phoenix and San Diego. Since May 2009, BuyWithMe has saved consumers more than $9.3 million and introduced merchants to more than 130,000 new customers.

This innovative social buying method offers great opportunities for local consumers and businesses alike. Participating consumers who act within seven days get banded together to benefit from exclusive, local deals unavailable anywhere else, while local businesses attract tons of new and returning loyal customers.

BuyWithMe offers significant savings to anyone who lives, works or visits Dallas or Houston, and wants to experience the best local dining, shopping, spas, hotels and more.  Savvy shoppers can find Texas-sized deals from many popular Dallas and Houston businesses on BuyWithMe.

Shoppers in Dallas can sign up now for the mailing list and find deeply discounted offers at BuyWithMe. Plus, you can discover more deals by following along on Twitter (@BuyWithMeDal or @BuyWithMeHOU) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BuyWithMeDallas and www.facebook.com/BuyWithMeHouston).  Businesses can explore the power of the deal by contacting a BuyWithMe team member at www.BuyWithMe.com/boostyourbusiness.

The Laws of Social Influence: How to Learn Them, How to Use Them

By Ward White, Vollmer Public Relations

Have you ever heard a speaker who absolutely blew your socks off?  I did recently, and I feel so energized by the experience that I’m driven to share it.

The speaker was Robert Cialdini, the world’s current expert on social influence – “ethical persuasion” he calls it.  His classic book, Influence: Science and Practice, presents six basic principles of winning friends and influencing people (boss, client, media, mentor or the all-important customer).  Cialdini is a bigwig professor and has tons of credentials, but it’s what he has to say that’s so impressive -- and even life-changing.

His stuff isn’t about vague or lofty principles.  Everything he writes, you can use today.  It’s all based on fascinating, actual-life research of real people in real situations.  He illustrates with convincing stories and data showing how people act and what moves them to act in a particular way.

Here is a sneak preview of the first three of Cialdini’s “Six Laws” that drive social influence

• Reciprocity  -- You first, then me, then you again.  A person helped by another, or given something of value, feels a natural impulse to return the favor.  Cialdini says this law is found in every human society ever studied.  It’s as old as human nature itself.  Give and ye shall receive.  You scratch my back; I’ll scratch yours.  One who receives a gift of some value feels obliged to give in return.  Hence our expression, “Much obliged.” The most important thing about the  Reciprocity principle is  this – you have to go first.  Give useful or timely information.  Give services.  Give concessions.  Whoever gives first, wins. Think about this principle in terms of managing your boss or prospecting for new business or interdepartmental cooperation or whatever is the most critical success factor in your career right now.  More on this later.  I’m inclined to see reciprocity as the single most important of the six principles.

• Scarcity – Offer what’s unique, or at least rare.  People want more of what they can have less of.  Think of diamonds --  valuable (and valued) because scarce.   When it comes to information, if what’s scarce is exclusive, that’s even better.  Offer what is unique, limited, found only here.   “I just got a draft of the attached White Paper this morning.  This is not yet public information, as it won’t be released until next Monday.  Hope it’s useful to you or your boss/your CEO.”  The scarce item may not be a single thing, it may be a bundle of attributes unique to your particular company.  Victoria Falls is not the tallest waterfall, it’s not the widest, it doesn’t have the greatest water volume – but it’s the greatest combination of all three factors.  It is this bundle of attributes that makes it one of the most spectacular natural wonders on the entire planet.

• Consistency and Commitment – Humans have a desire to be (and to appear) consistent with what they have already done or said.  A consistent orientation helps simplify the complex options presented by our modern way of life.  So people tend to behave consistently with choices they’ve already made, even very small choices.  If someone can get you to commit to a small action now (sign a petition, make a tiny contribution, wear a yellow wrist bracelet), you will be more inclined to take larger supportive actions down the road.  Research shows that, if you write a goal down on a piece of paper, you’re much more likely to achieve it.  This can be a purpose of your personal annual planning meeting , or your team’s.  This practice gets your goals set down on paper and, an even more important motivator, it makes them public to all who participate.   Commitments are more effective if they are active, public, effortful and felt to be uncoerced.

That’s a snapshot of Cialdini’s first three laws of how people’s behavior can be triggered.  Next time, we’ll take a look at the remaining three laws:

• Liking
• Authority
• Consensus/Social Proof 

Cialdini’s books have sold more than two million copies and have been translated into 26 languages.  Fortune magazine lists Influence: Science and Practice in its "75 Smartest Business Books” of all time.  Small wonder.  More bits of wisdom from Robert Cialdini to follow.  Stay tuned.

What’s Next for Industry after the Gulf Disaster?

by Tony Shelton, Shelton and Caudle Communication Training and Crisis Counsel, a division of Vollmer Public Relations

For some,  it’s a wash –

What company looks really good so far in the aftermath of the disaster in the Gulf?

Procter & Gamble, which has been supplying its Dawn dishwashing liquid for wildlife clean-up. In fact, a recent Huffington Post poll found that 39 percent of respondents said they would make sure to buy Dawn. 

At some point, of course, the leak will be stopped, clean-up and reparations will be concluded, and the world will move on from this tragedy.   But it’s clear the energy industry will have to operate differently.  The government will require it, and the public is demanding it.

Who’s got the solution?  The smart companies involved in offshore drilling and spill response are already asking:  How can we do this better next time.  What’s the new plan?

The really smart companies have realized that the needed technology, engineering and equipment already exist.  These essential elements reside with the independent companies that specialize in spill response and containment.  We don’t necessarily need new technology, although research is essential.  What is needed is a plan coordinated and put forth by industry response specialists, certainly with review and oversight by the federal government.

In the current disaster, the problem was not lack of response methods; it was that BP acted too slowly to get them into place. And it will be up to the responders to lead the charge. Any new plans put forth solely by BP and the other major producers – the ones who call in the response specialists – are unlikely to be warmly embraced on Capitol Hill.  It doesn’t help that, in recent testimony before Congress, the response plans of the majors all sounded a lot like BP’s.  (We’re likely to continue hearing about the plans’ protections for Gulf walruses, who haven’t called the Gulf home for millions of years. That unfortunate reference is the stuff from which legends are made.)

We need a plan that focuses on quick response for containment, as well as “stopping the leak.”  The idea is to contain and remove leaking oil as close to the source as possible, at the same time the best minds are figuring out the final fix for the problem.

In addition to the good news that the needed response and containment technology already exist is the news that, in order to be fully prepared, they don’t need to be kept in storage until a spill.     For example, with some modifications, response vessels can be ready to disconnect at virtually a moment’s notice from wells they might be working on and motor under their own power to the site of a spill.

With a plan in mind, the independent response experts, especially those willing to take leadership roles, are likely to find a friendly reception on Capitol Hill.

The major producers?  Well, they’ll have to pay for it.  But at least with a better response plan in place, they may be able to get back to the business of finding and producing the oil and gas this country is still going to need for a long, long time.

And more Americans will likely be stocking up on bottles of Dawn.

Vollmer is Passionate about Generation TX

by Denisha Stevens, Vollmer Public Relations Dallas

One of the great things about working at Vollmer is the fact that we have the opportunity to take part in programs that we are especially passionate about.  Today that special program is Generation TX (GenTX).

We are working with Milkshake Media, an Austin-based brand agency, to support the campaign by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to foster a college-going culture in the state.  To understand the challenge and why we are so fired up about this assignment, consider these statistics:

• Texas has a population where 20 percent of residents over 25 have failed to complete high school and only 55 percent of students go to college.
• A high percentage of the public school students in Texas will be the first in their family to pursue college or career education beyond high school.
• Studies show that a college graduate will have $1 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school dropout.

It’s safe to assume that many of us wouldn’t be in our current professions if we hadn’t had the opportunity to pursue a college education or specialized training after high school.  Where would we be today if we’d had difficulty making our way through the application process or failed to find a way to pay for tuition?  The GenTX initiative has been created to help students overcome these obstacles.

Through a variety of grassroots tactics, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is asking community organizations and leaders to engage students and then connect them and their families to the resources   they  need to prepare for, apply to and pay for college and career education beyond high school.  The program will be launched in the pilot markets of Fort Worth and San Antonio this fall, with plans to reach out to additional markets in the future. 

We invite you to learn more at www.GenTX.org and check back frequently to watch the program take shape in the coming months.  Likewise, we invite you to do your part to reach out to students in your community to share this important resource.  After all, educating the next generation of Texans is something we all should be passionate about.

Send a Note -- You Can Thank Me Later

by Denisha Stevens, Vollmer Public Relations Dallas

It arrived in the mail in a white envelope, just blue ink on simple white card stock standing a mere four inches tall.  I called out to my office mates in excitement.   Soon, we were gathered in the hallway staring at it in amazement. 

Had we been blessed with a winning lottery ticket?  Free passes to a sporting event?  VIP party invite?  Actually, it was something far more meaningful and surprising.  We had received a handwritten thank-you note from a potential client.

Our contact had taken the time to send us a note to thank us for our RFP response.  She explained that her organization would require a few weeks to review all of the submissions and would contact us regarding next steps.  

Why the big surprise?  Unfortunately, participating in a new business pitch these days doesn’t always yield a response.  After brainstorming, meeting and preparing detailed proposals, some contacts just disappear, never to be heard from again.  Was it our recommendations?  Was it the budget?  Did they even move forward with hiring a PR firm?  Without feedback, we are just left scratching our heads.  While some potential clients send follow-up communication, a handwritten thank-you note is especially rare.

How did we get to this point?  Did we stop writing thank-you notes when we started communicating in 140 characters or less?  Are our schedules so crazy that we can’t take a moment to express our gratitude?  Face it: Whether it’s handwritten, emailed or tweeted, a simple acknowledgement still goes a long way. 

Personally, this whole experience has inspired me.  I’m going out to buy some note cards!