Goal-setting

This morning, discussing business over coffee with a friend of mine, we got into a discussion of networking groups, and how difficult it was to make that initial connection with people sometimes, especially if (like my friend) you're a bit shy. 

Recently, I had my own experience with something similar to this - as the zen kitchen grows, I've found myself having to break into - gasp! - cold calling. And it was scary at first, until I took a moment to ask myself: "what's the goal here?" 

In my mind, part of the reason networking events (or cold calls, for that matter) can be difficult for some folks is because it's hard to tell what the point is. What are you looking for? What do you expect to happen? What would you LIKE to happen? And often, I've found that just articulating that one thing before you get to an event, or before you call a prospect, can make all the difference between leaving the situation feeling like you've gotten something done and leaving feeling like you've just wasted your time.

For example, in my recent cold calling efforts, I decided that my goal was just to introduce myself, and learn more about the organization I was calling, what kind of materials they outsource, etc. If I could send them more information, or add them to my newsletter, even better - but the primary goal was just to get a conversation going. And knowing what that goal was (and leaving it pretty easy to manage) made it inconceivably easier to do calls, to the point where I actually started enjoying them. Plus, the relaxed attitude I had towards the call actually made the calls more productive, since the person on the other line felt more like they were having a conversation and less like they were being sold something.

I take a similar approach to networking events - after figuring out who I want to meet and finding a meeting where I'm likely to meet those kind of people, I spend a couple of minutes before the meeting setting a goal for the event. Some nights I want to meet 5 people who'd be good to follow up with; other events I want to find 3 people I can give helpful information to. It helps me get a meeting off to the right foot, and it helps me get back on track if, on the odd occasion, I start feeling a bit shyer than usual.

What are your best strategies/goals for networking?

New Year, New Goals

Well, after a long cooldown and some time spent catching up with a few projects I had on hold (as well as catching up with some new clients I'll be starting work with soon), I'm finally back from the December holidays. It's been an interesting few weeks - I was finally able to get back on a healthy kick (despite the tremendous amount of food my boyfriend's parents tried to feed me, I was able to commit to twice-daily yoga and a reasonable amount of food, and I'm still keeping it up two weeks later, much to the delight of my clothes, which were starting to feel the pinch.

All that aside, 2006 was a very good year, for me and for the zen kitchen. Despite my nervousness at going off on my own (would I make enough to survive? Would I crash and burn? Can I do this?) and a few moments where I neared burnout, I was able to do a lot of excellent work, and create a number of successful relationships with clients and others in my network. 2007 looks to be even better, with a few new projects already getting ready to start work on, and a renewed energy in the office. I even got some unexpected props this week from AntMan over at cre8Buzz, who appreciated the green message that I and a few of my new friends in the blogosphere have been spreading.

For 2007, I have a few goals in mind. The first is to get the zen kitchen ready for expansion to include another designer. As much as I love the working-from-home gig, it's a lonely road, and I'd really love to have another designer to share the workday/workload with me.

The next is to get and stay healthy. The pressure of running a design studio has taken quite a bit of a toll on my general health, and if I'm going to turn tzk into what I want it to be, it's important to get and stay as healthy as I can be.

The last, and possibly most important, goal, is to find ways to live more simply. I, like so many of us, find myself occasionally trapped in the "must consume" nature of our culture, and it bothers me from both a financial and an environmental standpoint. So this is the year of getting further control of my finances, and learning to live more frugally.

Thanks again for reading these humble notes, and I look forward to chatting with you in the new year!