Networking etiquette

Six tips for remembering names

By Arden / October 5, 2011 /

Has this ever happened to you? You’re talking to someone and another person you know walks up but you’ve forgotten their name, so you don’t introduce them to the first person. It’s pretty awkward isn’t it? Well take consolation in the fact that it happens to the best of us. However, if you work on…

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How to make friends with a higher up

By Arden / October 3, 2011 /

This is a guest post by Alexandra Levit, author of Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can’t Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success. In addition to cultivating a strong relationship with your manager, it’s also a good move to form solid friendships with other executives. Alerting senior people to your stellar…

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Are you trying to escape me?

By Arden / June 13, 2011 /

Recently, I had coffee with someone I had met at a conference. We agreed to meet at 2:00 and I had a client meeting at 3:30. I knew I would have to leave at 3:00 to have enough time to get to the client’s office. I thought about saying something to her at the beginning…

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Are little white lies OK?

By Arden / April 11, 2011 /

A few months ago I wrote a blog post about my experience at a networking event where I was talking to someone who was ready to continue networking but didn’t know how to gracefully end the conversation. The blog post was titled “‘I’d like to freshen my drink” and other little white lies.”

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“I’m going to freshen my drink” and other little white lies

By Arden / February 6, 2011 /

The other night at a networking event I ran into someone I had met at another event. We were chatting, when during a somewhat awkward pause he looked at his plate and said, These chicken wings are really good. I’m going to get some more.” He walked away and went to the buffet and started…

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Directness vs. Diplomacy

By Arden / October 7, 2010 /

As you may know, I write a business etiquette column for the Puget Sound Business Journal. Each week when the Journal arrives I eagerly open it up to the “Growing your Business” section to see if my latest column has run. Seeing my name in print is still exciting.

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7 Etiquette Best Practices for Your Next Networking Event

By Arden / September 18, 2010 /

This is a guest post by Matt Heinz, founder and principal of Heinz Marketing, LLC. You’ve seen what not to do.  You’ve likely experienced it more than once.  The guy who talks only about himself.  The contact who’s constantly scanning the room for someone else.  The sales rep who paid good money to be there,…

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Are You Chasing Away Your Customers?

By Arden / August 27, 2010 /

I was talking to a colleague yesterday about an encounter she had with a young salesperson. My colleague, let’s call her Carol, and I were co-presenters at a networking event and met the salesperson there. After the event, the salesperson, I’ll call her Sue, called Carol.

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Is Your Handshake Talking Behind Your Back?

By Arden / May 3, 2010 /

In almost all of my classes I teach how to have a confident handshake. While it may seem like a really small thing, your handshake actually speaks volumes about you. You want to be sure it expresses that you are a confident, professional person. I saw this video about the 10 different handshakes and thought…

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Are You The Real Deal?

By Arden / April 23, 2010 /

Yesterday I presented my Networking with Ease presentation to 120 people at the Greater Seattle Chamber “Focus On” series. As usual, my audience asked some really great questions. One man asked if someone should tone down their over-the-top energy when they are networking. It was an interesting question and one I hadn’t been asked before.

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