Document Networking

Do you have a governmental issue? Have to open a bank account? Go to the Doctor? Get into a new school? For sure you will need some papers, and think about what happen when you don´t carry them. Here I'll share some tips for you.

One of my sons will make an abroad trip, so I have to make some immigration affairs and some bank affairs. Here in Mexico this type of errands are somethings you should be prepared to deal with.

The first thing to do is to have the permit that allow my kid to get out of the country without his parents. There is a document you should fill out with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I believe this is not available in Monterrey because other times I had to go to a Notary to make the request.

When you have to make this things it's better to do it by yourself. For more information please visit: 

http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/autorizacion_menores

At the end I went to the immigration office and when they review my application, it happened to have some mistakes and I had to print again my document. So my first tip: 

Tip 1: Look for the Internet Coffee closer to the place you are making the application, maybe they will charge you a little extra per hour, but probably they will know about the procedure, had the proper technology and are aware of the different things when people make mistakes.

At the end I get the immigration permit without many setbacks and the expense of some little pesos. For sure I learn something and the next time I will probably get my application correctly filled out.

Next I have to get a Bank Account for my son, so to the bank I went and ask about some of their services. I had to wait in line about 1 hour. By the time I get the information, I didn't carry with me any documents so I started to think:

1.- Waiting in line: 1 hour

2.- Receive information: 5 minutes

3.- Getting documents: 1 day, you have to go home and take some copies. 

4.- Time for application: 10 minutes

So I start thinking again, and I think I could manage it in some kind of way, I believe networking is my signature, isn't it?

First I look in my phone and remembered all the documents I have sent to me at some point. Perfect, I had pictures, pdf's, emails with the most of the papers I need. I ask the manager his email account and send them to him. So my number 2 tip:

Tip 2: Always have some documents at the cloud for sure you will make hand of some of them in some stressful situations that you probably will have.

Finally there was one last document I needed, and unfortunately I didn't have a copy with me. So I remember the girl that helps me with  my home cleaning, luckily she was at my house at that point. So I asked her to take a picture of the receipt and send it to me via Whatsapp. 

Tip 3: Calmly think who could offer you some help, some people that you know may be near the information you need and without making so much trouble you may get the information and the application done.

The next time I go to the bank, I will probably make the next things:

Tip 4: Ask in advance for an appointment

Tip 5: Make some previous research on which documents I will need to make my application.

Tip 6: Carefully review the filling of my own documents to get better results the first time.

I wish you the best luck of all on your next application procedure. Would you like to share some thoughts?

Launching Networking: EGADE Business School Guadalajara

Join us via Livestream:

Wednesday, 18 march, 2015

8:00am (UTC -6)

Personal Branding Network

How you get some personal publicity? If you are a public figure, if you are a consultant, if you have a job where you are supposed to have a lot of contact with people. I share some tips that could be helpful for you to create your own personal branding.

Some time ago, my editor told me that he challenged his students to create their own digital history in the web. This means that if someone looks for you, on the www you should be found by your different digital activities, and not because you live yourself at the social media.

1.-  Who are you? Studies, work, skills and interests. Have clear which of this you want to share and which you want to maintain private. Take care on what you share on social media belongs to your personal objectives.

2.- Perception? Personal and professional relations, web reputation. What does your followers say about you, on a personal and a professional level. Also you want to know what about the social networks.

3.- What you want to achieve? Sector, market, style. You should have clear who you are targeting, who your market should be and what style you want to be known as. 

4.- How your brand should be? Slogans, images, storytelling. Remember you want to share some type of emotion, your name should be easy to remember, your colors matching your messages, share some of your personal experiences. 

5.- Where you get your inspiration? Networking. Relate on who are your influencers, the groups or communities you are following, what kind of events you attend. 

6.- What is your message? Create original content. You may write a Blog, produce a video, take some photographs, create some info graphics. Share it in social networks, make a commitment with your personal brand. 

7.- How do you know its working? Get involved, share, review tendencies, learn how to deal with criticism, look at your analytics. Participate in open forums or on line communities to leave your personal print.

So when someone google your name, the results bring out information you have planted, and not a random graduation picture. I invite you to start creating your personal brand, tell me how do you feel?

Supplier Networking

Have you been part of a tender? Have you made a presentation and think it went well, but at the end you lost the business?

I went to a presentation of 4 IT suppliers. From the central office I got the invitation as a possible decision taker. We were around 25 people at the meeting.

Each supplier has the opportunity to share their product for 1 hour and 3o minutes. And they gave us a evaluation format to consider the different qualities the product should have.

The presentations went one after the other, and the suppliers share their product characteristics. I could identify big differences among them, and take some notes to share with you. On the first hand to make you aware that on a selling process, you will need some networking before, in the meantime and after each presentation.

1.- Before the event: Take some time to learn who your audience will be. What are the physical resources you may have for your exposure. How much expertise the people that will evaluate your product has.

2.- During the event: Ask the people if they have seen your product before, if they know the characteristics of it, what are the failures it has and what are the qualities it has. Ask them what other things they want to be included as a part of the service you are offering. 

3.- After the event: Send a thank you note to the assistants, make some modifications to your offer, add some of the suggestions you get from the people at the meeting. 

In the presentations I participated, I could see big differences between the suppliers. One of the companies was really interested on the needs we have. The other presented some elements that weren't necessary or not part of the shared needs.

One of the suppliers get the following note from a guest:

"Please limit yourself to share the specific product we asked for, because you are making us loose our time".

Remember each activity you make, if there is people involved, always consider their needs and wishes. This is the clue for making your proposals get to the best terms.

On the evaluation format I had, there were two suppliers that didn't get my grade, because they never presented anything that I was needing.

Other supplier, introduce just some part of the information, so he get my second best option. But the one that made the networking research in advance get my best reviews, also I get a thank you note from him and a second date to move on on the process.

Who do you hire for the job?

Networking Challenge

Are you really shy to meet people? Do you get nervous when speaking to someone you don't know? Remember practice makes a teacher.

I'd like to invite you to do the following networking challenge:

Day 1: Make contact with someone new, it doesn't matter where you meet him, its origin, its job, meet someone new on your day 1.

Week 1: Meed a someone new and get its contact from linked in or some other social media. This challenge will take some more time, but remember, you are training to meet people and feel well about it.

Month 1: Have a long lasting friendship with your new acquaintance. This means that by now you will have their personal data, hobbies, family information. You should be prepared to share yourself. Don't keep superficial do an interesting friendship and then keep it for a month.

Do you find it hard? Remember you are working out to loose your shyness and the more you practice, it will become easier. 

GOOD LUCK!!! Let me know how does it went use #retoNetworking.

Taxi-tures

I had the opportunity to travel abroad on a business trip and take some transportation. I will share with you some networking tips learned from the taxi drivers.

The first one was a Bogota Driver, that take Camila and Me to a business meeting. Both of us were chatting about our activities when Carlos, the driver, ask me if I were from Monterrey.

It take me for surprise that someone else knew where I was from, so I asked. He told me that he lived some years before there and that he was fond to that city. Also he told me that he liked our music and he played the next song in the radio.

The trip ended with us singing in the taxi and thinking about our grilled meat. "Pos como no!".

The second story was with a Lima Taxi Driver. I organised with a friend to take a city tour and the company offered to pick us up at the hotel. When we where on the taxi, Armando the Lima Driver, ask us where we headed to. Of course neither Claudia nor me knew were we have to go. We taught that the driver should know.

Eventually the driver stops in the middle of a street and ask the first person he see for the place we have to get. This person told him that he was wrong on his way and that he should go to another spot. Claudia and me look at each other, and start to laugh, we both thing that the walker will knew as much as us to where we headed.

We decided to keep on with our driver, because we were really interested on what was going on. Our driver asked to 3 more people and then decided to call the company, at the end we get there on time.

So I share some recommendations related:

1.- If you recognize the accent of a person, ask about its origins, what he misses, the food, the people. You will get an interesting conversation. If you do not recognize the accent, then ask about where he comes from and also you will have an interesting conversation.

2.- If you have the chance to share what you know from other countries do it the people will thank your attentions.

3.- If you can amuse your clients, have some fun, Claudia and me keep on the taxi because the interactions between our driver and the people on the streets was really funny.

Samurai Networking

The past weekend I had one of those interesting experiences that everyone should experiment on their lives. A great activity to make some networking.

I received an invitation from Forbes Mexico to: "One of the most intense, challenging and powerful simulations available today with the objective to train leaders from the practice and action side. Based on the principles of the Samurai warrior path, each contestant is challenged to live and practice each principle every moment, as an opportunity to make them part of his everyday life".

With such a compelling message, I couldn't refuse, so I went and the best of it is that I had a wonderful time, I met a lot of people with such different backgrounds in so many ways. Even though we committed in friendship and fraternity to focus on the assigned task, and of course with the same objective: Win the Game.

As usual, some of my recommendations:

1.- Take risks. If you are invited to an event were you have no idea on what is all about, but you believe is interesting, go...How much you can loose?

2.- Make a commitment with the activity and give the best out of you. When you discover the event goal and you decide to participate, is important that you make a personal commitment. Once you decide to do something, give the best of you in the process. That way you will achieve the most. 

3.- Connect, where there is people, there is networking. Seize the  moment to meet the people you are with. It should be an interesting experience to get together some time later and share your new thoughts and feelings about the experience.