Rae Stonehouse, author of Power Networking for Shy People: Tips & Techniques for Moving from Shy to Sly! offers proven sage advice on how to maximize your business networking effectiveness. In For a Good Time Call … Rae provides sage advice on how to capitalize on the skills and expertise that you have to increase your business networking effectiveness.

1. For a Good Time Call ... Power Networking Tips & Techniques
I am sure that most of us have heard of the practice of reading a message scrawled on a public
restroom wall of “For a good time call …” There is a usually a phone number accompanying the
message. In all likelihood the individual mentioned is not aware of the advertising being done
on their behalf nor would they likely agree with it. More than likely it was scrawled by an
adolescent male, driven by testosterone and thinking it was pretty funny. Having not spent any
time in the women’s restroom I can only assume that this practice only happens in the men’s.
If the individual named actually wrote the message in question well I guess it could be
attributed to some savvy targeted marketing.
Now I am not suggesting that you add this to your networking skills repertoire. In my example
the call for action is “for a good time call …” Each and every one of us has something that we
are offering, whether it be a skill or our expertise. When we are networking for business we
need to get the message out there as to what we do and what we have to offer.
Now, using a plumber as an example, what if we changed the message to something like for
“For No More Leaky Pipes call …” A financial planner might say “We are your financial health
experts. Will your money live as long as you do?” An entertainer could get away with “for a
good time call …”
This in essence is your USP, which is often defined as Universal Sale Pitch or Unique Selling
Proposition. Your USP is a short statement that summarizes who you are, what you do, why you
are passionate about it and how you are different or better than anyone else who does it. All
this in a short sentence. Yes it is definitely challenging. You may not want to do it but your
competition likely is.
A memorable USP has a way of connecting you, your business and what you have to offer in a
person’s mind. You want your potential customer to automatically think of you when they have
a problem to solve and that you are likely the solution to it. The only way that will happen is
that you have to get in the habit of using your USP regularly, perhaps as part of your elevator
pitch. You have to become known by your USP.
At the risk of self-promoting, after all I am an entrepreneur, I would offer one of my USPs. “Hi,
I’m Rae Stonehouse also known as Mr. Emcee. I am on Okanagan-based full service master of
ceremonies and event planner. From start to finish … we do it all!”
Or … for a good time call Rae … just not too early in the morning, too late in the evening, on
weekends or in the afternoon as it cuts into my nap. But other than that …

2. Rae Stonehouse is the author of Power Networking For Shy People: Tips &
Techniques to Move from Shy to Sly! Visit us
at http://www.powernetworkingforshypeople.com Join our discussion on
Facebook & LinkedIn. Just search for Power Networking for Shy People.