July 1, 2022
SECRETS OF A SERIAL NETWORKER:
CONNECT, SERVE, AND ATTRACT MORE CLIENTS
Attracting Your Ideal Prospects for Deeper Connections and Greater Profits
Anne Garland
Aviva Publishing (2022)
ISBN: 978-1-63618-163-9
New Book Teaches Easy Steps to Network for Deeper Connections
In Secrets of a Serial Networker: Connect, Serve, and Attract More Clients, Anne Garland shares her nearly half-a-century of experiences working, networking, and connecting with people. These secrets are hard-earned, but Anne reveals how simple and easy they are to apply so you can meet the right people and grow your business.
Anne’s sense of humor and outgoing personality will have you laughing and nodding your head at her Lucille-Ball-style antics that have resulted in a wealth of knowledge you’ll benefit from. For example, her signature joke is: “So, why did the chicken cross the road? The chicken crossed the road…to meet other chicks!” That play on a familiar joke exemplifies networking’s whole purpose for Anne. Networking is about meeting other people and connecting with them in a way that will help you help them and help them help you.
While many people dread the thought of networking, Anne states that she’s always approached networking with a sense of fun because of the relationship benefits that can result. She states, “my purpose in maintaining those relationships is always to serve people, never to sell, even though I have held professional ‘sales’ positions.” For Anne, “Successful networking is about give-and-take conversations, building rapport, and establishing trusting relationships with people who want to refer you. When they fall in like with you and trust you, they will talk about you because they know you. They will talk about how great you are to work with and recommend you to their peers and contacts who are in need of your services or products.”
That sounds great, and it’s true. Even if you can’t help someone or they can’t help you directly, you can help each other through referrals to others you can do business with. When you approach networking that way, you create a giant network of people helping each other.
Of course, there are reasons people find networking scary. Anne knows there will be bumps in the road, but she has answers for all of those bumps. She teaches how to prepare for problems and also determine which networking situations are best for you. Or perhaps you are in the right place to network, but you meet someone super-obnoxious and don’t know how to deal with them—Anne has the answer.
Anne’s 3-2-1 method for working a room is alone worth the price of the book. I couldn’t believe the simplicity of this method and how little work it really is. It’s just about finding three new people to talk to at an event, and Anne teaches you how to do that. She also teaches you how to follow up with those people so they stay part of your network. I won’t go into all the details, but as she points out, two of the most important words to any person are their first and last names, so it’s important to use a person’s name and get it right. It’s also important to spend time getting to know each person. You can’t do that if you’re “speed dating” by rushing around and collecting business cards. Instead, you have to create true relationships by following up. As Anne states, the number-one mistake most networkers make is they don’t follow up!
Secrets of a Serial Networker is divided into three sections. The first is about how to secure your gold—or rather, how to invest in the people you meet and how to track those investments to ensure they become profitable.
The second section offers incredible tips for virtual networking. This section blew me away with its great advice, including how to “master your square”—that tiny box you have on Zoom. Anne offers advice on everything from lighting and appearance to how to keep lights from reflecting on your glasses so you make the best impression possible on everyone else on the Zoom call. She also teaches how to reach out to people on Zoom and follow up with them. Overall, you will learn all the ins and outs of proper netiquette and be amazed by the benefits you reap.
In the third section, Anne shares how to create your own networking events at which you will be the star. She discusses all the details from how to choose a venue, including the nitty-gritty of sensory details, to choosing food, inviting people, and following up with them after the event to keep the magic going. Throughout the book, Anne shares wonderful quotes, and the one she shares here, from Mason Cooley, is spot-on: “An event is not over until everyone is tired of talking about it.”
Overall, Secrets of a Serial Networker is a gold mine of information for anyone who wants to learn how to network or how to do it better. In the end, you’ll move from just networking to connecting. What’s the difference? Anne states: “Networking is about knowing more people. Connecting is about knowing people more.”
I guarantee you will be entertained by Anne’s stories and learn from them both what to do and what not to do so you can become a networking rock star. You’ll be amazed by how easy networking is, your business will thank you, and your relationships will be richer and more fulfilling. Now, grab this book and be prepared to cross that road to meet other chicks.
For more information about Anne Garland and Secrets of a Serial Networker, visit www.SecretsofaSerialNetworker.com.
— Tyler R. Tichelaar, PhD and award-winning author of When Teddy Came to Town
