Turning Colleagues into Clients

Reposting this networking scenario — and path-to-solution — pulled from the pages of my new book The Social Billionaire.

The Social Billionaire is research-backed and draws on the real career experiences of ambitious women. Yes, we're more than overdue for a new approach to networking for success. The Social Billionaire is a workbook - and it's designed to show you where the most powerful shifts in your networking approach can be made — and how to reach the career milestones you're after.

Networking Scenario: The Consultant Who Can't Convert

GK is seeking to build a vibrant and profitable consulting practice. Her challenge is converting connections from former colleagues — who are more than delighted to catch up socially — into profitable, paying clients. She also needs a sustainable approach to networking to ensure a steady flow of projects, and one that reflects her hands-on approach to parenting.

Networking Prescription for GK:

• Build an inner circle of door-openers (Chapter 5 - Unlock Your High-Achieving Network): Prioritize pulling together a personal board of directors (aka an inner circle) of busy, well-connected influencers — people whose networks can open doors you want opened (or can direct you to where you can find the key) and won't hold back on referring or recommending you.
• Explore Opportunities At Intersections (Chapter 6 - Networking: Three High Impact Practices): This exercise invites you to discover where your personal interests and professional goals overlap — and who you could collaborate with on business development in unique ways so it doesn't feel like "networking" at all.
• Make a Prioritization Pie (Chapter 4 - Grit: What's Your Fuel?): This quick visual exercise addresses the "not enough time" problem. Draw a circle, write what you want to accomplish in the middle, map how you're actually spending your time around it, to see what's actually eating your pie.
• Marie Kondo your commitments (Chapter 4 - Grit: What's Your Fuel?): Step back and review of everything currently on your plate — the professional as well as the personal — to identify what on your calendar is bringing you closer to your goals, and which commitments are just taking up space.

What if acts of service that we can feel but can’t always measure expand our capacity for connection and trust?

💡 Read "We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For" on the Yield Giving blog.

📖 The Social Billionaire: A Networking Roadmap for Women Seeking to Flourish and Achieve More is full of exercises, reflections, and networking prescriptions to help you network your ambitions. Grab your copy - and a pen, it's a workbook.

🗝️ If you’re planning events designed to boost women’s professional connections, let’s talk, as I’d love insights from The Social Billionaire to be part of these conversation.

⭐️ And when you've read it — an honest 5-star on Goodreads would mean a great deal. Reviews are how books get found - and I'd like more women (who are like GK) to find this book.