Thursday, December 29, 2005
Use Free CRM Software
Recently, a friend replied to one of my "personalized" emails and asked me what software program I used to create the emails. The answer is that I used the Mail Merge feature in Microsoft Word. However, here are a few other great free CRM tools that you can check out.
A long time ago, when I was working at an Internet startup called Wishclick, we used a software package called ACT!. However, there are now several "free" CRM applications that you can check out. They all have paying versions that offer more functionality, but if you are just using it for your own networking, the free version should be fine.
Salesforce.com is probably the leader in the market. They have a single user version which is free. FreeCRM.com is another good choice. The free version actually allows you to have more than one user sharing the data. However, you have to put up with advertising. I think my favorite is SugarCRM. Their product is based on open source code. The free version, which you can download, seems to be very good. Your data actually resides on your own computer, so it is not a "hosted" application. I just downloaded it today and will be trying it out.
Regardless of which one of these programs / services you use, I do encourage you to take advantage of them. Even if you use it only once in a while, it's a good idea to keep track of your contacts, your networking follow-up items, referrals to other people, birthdays, etc.
A long time ago, when I was working at an Internet startup called Wishclick, we used a software package called ACT!. However, there are now several "free" CRM applications that you can check out. They all have paying versions that offer more functionality, but if you are just using it for your own networking, the free version should be fine.
Salesforce.com is probably the leader in the market. They have a single user version which is free. FreeCRM.com is another good choice. The free version actually allows you to have more than one user sharing the data. However, you have to put up with advertising. I think my favorite is SugarCRM. Their product is based on open source code. The free version, which you can download, seems to be very good. Your data actually resides on your own computer, so it is not a "hosted" application. I just downloaded it today and will be trying it out.
Regardless of which one of these programs / services you use, I do encourage you to take advantage of them. Even if you use it only once in a while, it's a good idea to keep track of your contacts, your networking follow-up items, referrals to other people, birthdays, etc.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Join openBC
Most of you know that I've invested a huge amount of effort networking through LinkedIn. However, there are several other outstanding networking tools in the marketplace. Today, I had a conversation with Zhiyi Yu, a friend from my days at Harvard. Zhiyi is now a Managing Director for openBC. We had a long and interesting discussion about online networking tools, the differences between openBC and LinkedIn, and openBC's tremendous growth and future plans. Zhiyi is responsible for growing openBC in the greater China market. They have personnel in China working to expand its market share and be the #1 networking tool in China.
What makes openBC unique is that it has a version of the tool in just about every major language. As a result, it is extremely strong in Europe and Asia. If you are interested in networking with folks outside the US, you definitely should join openBC. openBC also facilitates actual networking events in cities around the world, so you may be interested in attending one of those.
If you do decide to join openBC, please connect to me. Here's my openBC profile. Or, you can email me and I will send you an invitation to join and connect automatically.
-Josh
What makes openBC unique is that it has a version of the tool in just about every major language. As a result, it is extremely strong in Europe and Asia. If you are interested in networking with folks outside the US, you definitely should join openBC. openBC also facilitates actual networking events in cities around the world, so you may be interested in attending one of those.
If you do decide to join openBC, please connect to me. Here's my openBC profile. Or, you can email me and I will send you an invitation to join and connect automatically.
-Josh
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Create Your Own Blog
Since you are reading this blog, there is a good chance that you already write your own blog. (If you do have a blog, please send me a link. I would love to take a look). If not, then I strongly encourage you to write one. You can create your free account easily here.
Today I spoke with Christian Mayaud, one of the most prolific networkers on LinkedIn. Christian is a venture capitalist. We spoke at length about blogging, since when we first connected on LinkedIn, he invited me to check out his blog, Sacred Cow Dung. If you are interested in networking, there are some really good content on his blog, especially his "Cheater's Guide to LinkedIn".
I procrastinated writing a blog for a long time. I've read many articles about blogging, and made up my mind that I was going to write one. These days, if you are going to meet with people, very likely they will search for your name on Google. If you write a blog, there is a greater chance that they will find you. Your blog is a great tool to create your own brand. Not only can people read your profile, they will get to know your background and experiences through your blog. So, I encourage you to start a blog today!
-Josh
Today I spoke with Christian Mayaud, one of the most prolific networkers on LinkedIn. Christian is a venture capitalist. We spoke at length about blogging, since when we first connected on LinkedIn, he invited me to check out his blog, Sacred Cow Dung. If you are interested in networking, there are some really good content on his blog, especially his "Cheater's Guide to LinkedIn".
I procrastinated writing a blog for a long time. I've read many articles about blogging, and made up my mind that I was going to write one. These days, if you are going to meet with people, very likely they will search for your name on Google. If you write a blog, there is a greater chance that they will find you. Your blog is a great tool to create your own brand. Not only can people read your profile, they will get to know your background and experiences through your blog. So, I encourage you to start a blog today!
-Josh
Monday, December 26, 2005
Develop a Networking Plan
I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! After a few days off, I'm back on this blog.
A few years ago, when I was in a period of career transition, I was a client of outplacement firm Lee Hecht Harrison. One of the things that I learned was the importance of developing a one-page "marketing plan" for your job search. In the plan are a few key bullet points about how you can contribute to any potential employer, the types of positions are you looking for, and your geographic preferences. But most importantly, the plan includes a list of your target companies. These are the companies that you want find the right hiring managers for, through networking. I found this "marketing plan" to be a great tool in setting up informational meetings. People would look at the plan and say, "I know someone at this company", or "Have you thought about this other company not on your list? I know someone there".
Recently, I used the "marketing plan" as a template to develop a "networking plan". It contains information about how I can help others in networking, the groups that I'm a member of, the alumni networks that I'm active in, etc. It also includes the types of professionals I'm looking to reach. In addition to describing my target industries, it also lists some specific companies. I find that having such a plan helps me in my networking discussions.
Email me if you want to see a sample of a job search "marketing plan" and/or "networking plan", and I will send you a copy. If you are either in active job search mode or networking mode, I would highly recommend it.
-Josh
A few years ago, when I was in a period of career transition, I was a client of outplacement firm Lee Hecht Harrison. One of the things that I learned was the importance of developing a one-page "marketing plan" for your job search. In the plan are a few key bullet points about how you can contribute to any potential employer, the types of positions are you looking for, and your geographic preferences. But most importantly, the plan includes a list of your target companies. These are the companies that you want find the right hiring managers for, through networking. I found this "marketing plan" to be a great tool in setting up informational meetings. People would look at the plan and say, "I know someone at this company", or "Have you thought about this other company not on your list? I know someone there".
Recently, I used the "marketing plan" as a template to develop a "networking plan". It contains information about how I can help others in networking, the groups that I'm a member of, the alumni networks that I'm active in, etc. It also includes the types of professionals I'm looking to reach. In addition to describing my target industries, it also lists some specific companies. I find that having such a plan helps me in my networking discussions.
Email me if you want to see a sample of a job search "marketing plan" and/or "networking plan", and I will send you a copy. If you are either in active job search mode or networking mode, I would highly recommend it.
-Josh
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Get Involved in Leading Organizations
As I mentioned on this blog a few days ago, I sent out the HBR article to folks on my LinkedIn list who live in the US. I'm still calling back those that responded to my email. Today I spoke with Diana Waters, who is another fellow UCLA alum. In addition to being an executive recruiter, she is also the VP of Membership for the Association for Strategic Planning.
If you are interested in strategic planning, I encourage you to check out their website and join. Diana is especially interested in finding people to take a leadership role out in the East Coast, to help in starting new chapters for the Association for Strategic Planning.
In my experience, the best way to network is to take an active role in the leadership of a professional organization. I was on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and helped to organize their annual conference. I discovered that it is much easier to network with executives in such a role. For example, I was able to invite Jerry Yang of Yahoo to speak at our NAAAP annual conference, when Yahoo was just a small startup.
So, bottom line is, try to get involved in a few organizations, volunteer your time and energy in organizing activities, and take on leadership roles.
If you are interested in strategic planning, I encourage you to check out their website and join. Diana is especially interested in finding people to take a leadership role out in the East Coast, to help in starting new chapters for the Association for Strategic Planning.
In my experience, the best way to network is to take an active role in the leadership of a professional organization. I was on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Asian American Professionals, and helped to organize their annual conference. I discovered that it is much easier to network with executives in such a role. For example, I was able to invite Jerry Yang of Yahoo to speak at our NAAAP annual conference, when Yahoo was just a small startup.
So, bottom line is, try to get involved in a few organizations, volunteer your time and energy in organizing activities, and take on leadership roles.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Send Christmas Cards to Your Network
Many years ago (pre-Internet days), I used to send out Christmas cards, each written by hand, containing a personal note. At one point, I hand wrote and sent out about 300 cards. It took me the whole month of December to finish, and my wrist hurt after I finished.
Then email became popular. Instead of hand written cards, I wrote an email message briefly describing some highlights of my year, and wishing my recipients a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I used an email merge program to personalized the greeting line, so each person received an email addressed to him or her.
Then electronic cards became popular. I went to several different websites offering free E-Cards and sent that out to my list.
This year, a good friend of mine sent me a postcard created by a company called AmazingMail. It was a glossy, heavy weight postcard, with a picture on one side, and a short letter on the other. This card also had a smaller picture (accent) on the second side. My wife and I decided to go with AmazingMail, since we wanted to use pictures of our young baby daughter.
We thought about using Snapfish, because we have most of our digital pictures uploaded there. However, we liked the fact that AmazingMail gives you the space to write a short letter, in addition to having a small picture on the second side. Plus, all you have to do is to load your recipients' contact info, and they print and mail the postcard directly to them. You can even customize the text of your message to address each person by name. It is a bit more expensive than Snapfish, but we think it's worth it.
Regardless of the type of card that you use, one of the best things you can do to improve your networking is to send out Christmas cards. If you can't send physical cards, then send out electronic ones. During this time of the year, people look forward to receiving cards (don't you?). You can send a card to someone that you used to keep in touch with, but haven't reach out to in a long time. Your card can be a good way to re-establish the relationship.
I even called a few of the people on my list to verify their mailing address. Again, this is a good opportunity to call someone you haven't called in a long time to catch up. This year, we only sent out cards to some personal friends. But in order to be a great networker, it is a good idea to send out cards to your business contacts as well.
Then email became popular. Instead of hand written cards, I wrote an email message briefly describing some highlights of my year, and wishing my recipients a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I used an email merge program to personalized the greeting line, so each person received an email addressed to him or her.
Then electronic cards became popular. I went to several different websites offering free E-Cards and sent that out to my list.
This year, a good friend of mine sent me a postcard created by a company called AmazingMail. It was a glossy, heavy weight postcard, with a picture on one side, and a short letter on the other. This card also had a smaller picture (accent) on the second side. My wife and I decided to go with AmazingMail, since we wanted to use pictures of our young baby daughter.
We thought about using Snapfish, because we have most of our digital pictures uploaded there. However, we liked the fact that AmazingMail gives you the space to write a short letter, in addition to having a small picture on the second side. Plus, all you have to do is to load your recipients' contact info, and they print and mail the postcard directly to them. You can even customize the text of your message to address each person by name. It is a bit more expensive than Snapfish, but we think it's worth it.
Regardless of the type of card that you use, one of the best things you can do to improve your networking is to send out Christmas cards. If you can't send physical cards, then send out electronic ones. During this time of the year, people look forward to receiving cards (don't you?). You can send a card to someone that you used to keep in touch with, but haven't reach out to in a long time. Your card can be a good way to re-establish the relationship.
I even called a few of the people on my list to verify their mailing address. Again, this is a good opportunity to call someone you haven't called in a long time to catch up. This year, we only sent out cards to some personal friends. But in order to be a great networker, it is a good idea to send out cards to your business contacts as well.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Network with a recruiter
It's been a few days since my last post. This past Friday, I had a good chat with Brian Anderson. He is the President of the BA Search Group. In addition to being an executive recruiter, he is also an executive/career coach. Brian writes a very good blog, it's definitely worth taking a look.
In our careers, we will either receive a call from an executive recruiter, or initiate a call to one. My suggestion is to cultivate a good relationship with as many recruiters as possible. Always take their call, and call them back if they leave you a message. Even if you are not interested in a position, you can learn more about it. Perhaps a friend of yours may be a good person to recommend to the recruiter as someone to talk to.
If you are a member of an alumni group such as the Anderson Jobs Yahoo Group, you can suggest that the recruiter forward you the job description and you can send it to the group. This way, not only are you serving as a valuable resource to the recruiter, you are also serving as a valuable resource to your alumni (or any other professional) group.
-Josh
In our careers, we will either receive a call from an executive recruiter, or initiate a call to one. My suggestion is to cultivate a good relationship with as many recruiters as possible. Always take their call, and call them back if they leave you a message. Even if you are not interested in a position, you can learn more about it. Perhaps a friend of yours may be a good person to recommend to the recruiter as someone to talk to.
If you are a member of an alumni group such as the Anderson Jobs Yahoo Group, you can suggest that the recruiter forward you the job description and you can send it to the group. This way, not only are you serving as a valuable resource to the recruiter, you are also serving as a valuable resource to your alumni (or any other professional) group.
-Josh
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Network with people in professional organizations
Yesterday, I met up with Phil Lam, who is the President, North America of Yappa, a company that specializes in 3-D technologies. Phil is a fellow alumni of Accenture, but that is not how we met. We met through the annual convention of the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) many years ago. We kind of lost touch, but we ran into each other at some networking event a couple of years ago. Then we connected on LinkedIn, so it's been easier to stay in touch.
Our discussion was very interesting. On top of being able to help each other connect with some good potential contacts, we also talked about his involvement in the indie film industry, and our common identify as parents of young kids. Overall, it was a very fruitful and fun meeting.
So, I wholeheartedly encourage you to join some professional networking organizations in your area. Perhaps an organization that you have some affinity with or interest in. As you meet people, try to keep in touch or meet up with them for coffee or lunch. You never know, the person you kept in touch with all these years may have a lead to someone that you're absolutely dying to talk to.
-Josh
Our discussion was very interesting. On top of being able to help each other connect with some good potential contacts, we also talked about his involvement in the indie film industry, and our common identify as parents of young kids. Overall, it was a very fruitful and fun meeting.
So, I wholeheartedly encourage you to join some professional networking organizations in your area. Perhaps an organization that you have some affinity with or interest in. As you meet people, try to keep in touch or meet up with them for coffee or lunch. You never know, the person you kept in touch with all these years may have a lead to someone that you're absolutely dying to talk to.
-Josh
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Network with your fellow alums
Yesterday, I met the CEO of a Japanese software company for lunch. He is a fellow alum at the UCLA Anderson School of Business. I first connected with him because I created the Anderson Jobs Yahoo Group and he sent me a job listing to be posted. It was a good lunch, and we will continue to help each other network with high quality professionals.
So, I highly encourage you to participate in your schools' alum networks. Join any jobs distribution groups for the alums of your alma mater. Share job leads with your fellow alums. Send a note to the person who posted a listing that you forward to any of your friends. This will help you network with two people, the person who poste the position, and the person you forwarded the listing to.
-Josh
So, I highly encourage you to participate in your schools' alum networks. Join any jobs distribution groups for the alums of your alma mater. Share job leads with your fellow alums. Send a note to the person who posted a listing that you forward to any of your friends. This will help you network with two people, the person who poste the position, and the person you forwarded the listing to.
-Josh
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Ping Your Network With Useful Content
Two weeks ago, I re-subscribed to the Harvard Business Review. I subscribed to the premium membership, so I can search and read the archives online. While browsing the website, I came across this really good article on networking: How to Build Your Network.
This gave me an idea. Why don't I "ping" some my contacts on LinkedIn by sending them a copy of this very useful article? One thing that I have learned about networking is that it is very difficult to keep in touch with people. People move, change jobs, change emails, etc. Unless you ping them every now and then, you may lose touch with them. So, it's a good idea to send them an email (personalized if possible) to stay in touch. I used to ping people with a weekly email, but then I stopped. Now it's more like a couple of times a year.
I exported my contacts from LinkedIn to a CSV file. I selected those contacts that are in the US. Over the course of a few days, I used Microsoft Word's mail merge feature with Outlook to send them a personalized email. Here's what is in my email:
Bill,
I came across this good article on networking in Harvard Business Review, and thought you may find it helpful:
Simply click on the link below to be taken directly to the full text of the article. You can access this content as often as you wish while the December 2005 issue is current. This article is estimated to be available until December 29th.
How to Build Your Network
Brian Uzzi, Shannon Dunlap
December 2005 Issue
Reprint #R0512B
Access this article now by clicking on the link below:
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbrsa/en/issue/0512/article/R0512B.jhtml?uid=24319093&aid=R0512B&rid=24331930&eom=1
So, how can I help you to be more successful? Are there any professionals you are trying to network with? Feel free to reply to this email, or even better, let's schedule a short phone conversation. It would be good to catch up.
Regards,
-Josh
https://www.linkedin.com/e/fpf/39129
After I sent this email, a huge number of people responded, which is what I was hoping for.
Bottom line: Try to ping the people in your network with some good and useful content every once in a while. It could be a good article, a recommendation of a book, blog, activity, or networking event.
-Josh
This gave me an idea. Why don't I "ping" some my contacts on LinkedIn by sending them a copy of this very useful article? One thing that I have learned about networking is that it is very difficult to keep in touch with people. People move, change jobs, change emails, etc. Unless you ping them every now and then, you may lose touch with them. So, it's a good idea to send them an email (personalized if possible) to stay in touch. I used to ping people with a weekly email, but then I stopped. Now it's more like a couple of times a year.
I exported my contacts from LinkedIn to a CSV file. I selected those contacts that are in the US. Over the course of a few days, I used Microsoft Word's mail merge feature with Outlook to send them a personalized email. Here's what is in my email:
Bill,
I came across this good article on networking in Harvard Business Review, and thought you may find it helpful:
Simply click on the link below to be taken directly to the full text of the article. You can access this content as often as you wish while the December 2005 issue is current. This article is estimated to be available until December 29th.
How to Build Your Network
Brian Uzzi, Shannon Dunlap
December 2005 Issue
Reprint #R0512B
Access this article now by clicking on the link below:
http://harvardbusinessonline
So, how can I help you to be more successful? Are there any professionals you are trying to network with? Feel free to reply to this email, or even better, let's schedule a short phone conversation. It would be good to catch up.
Regards,
-Josh
https://www.linkedin.com/e/fpf
After I sent this email, a huge number of people responded, which is what I was hoping for.
Bottom line: Try to ping the people in your network with some good and useful content every once in a while. It could be a good article, a recommendation of a book, blog, activity, or networking event.
-Josh
Monday, December 12, 2005
Join LinkedIn - One of the best tools for networking
For my very first real post, I want to invite you to check out LinkedIn. I think this is a great tool for professional networking. You can create a personal profile telling others as much information as you like about your experiences and education. You can set controls on what types of networking requests you are open to. In general, the level and calibre of the professionals on LinkedIn is quite high.
After you browse LinkedIn, if you are interested in joining, email me and I will send you an invitation to join and connect to me at the same time. If you are already a member, let's connect and expand both our networks!
There are a lot of really great user groups for LinkedIn users. In future posts, I will point out some of the useful groups to check out and join.
Here here to see my LinkedIn profile.
See you on LinkedIn!
-Josh
After you browse LinkedIn, if you are interested in joining, email me and I will send you an invitation to join and connect to me at the same time. If you are already a member, let's connect and expand both our networks!
There are a lot of really great user groups for LinkedIn users. In future posts, I will point out some of the useful groups to check out and join.
Here here to see my LinkedIn profile.
See you on LinkedIn!
-Josh
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Why Create This Blog?
It's 11:52 PM on a Saturday night. I have finally created my blog. It's been something on my To Do list for a while, but I finally did it. My family is sound asleep, but I'm typing away.
For those of you who know me, especially from 1994 to 2001, you may recall getting a weekly email from me. In this email, I would write a bit about something interesting I did that week, followed by a piece of wholesome humor, then followed by a mental puzzle, or inspirational story.
The origins of this weekly email was that I forwarded a humorous email to people in my small group. A week later, I sent another email, and thought, hey, I should do this every week. Then I started to add more and more friends. Then I started to add colleagues from work. Then I added people I had networked with in a variety of settings. I guess I have always been an extrovert and loved to network, so I thought that a weekly email would help me to keep in touch with everyone. At the end, this weekly email was going out to about 1600 people. Of course, most people never replied to my emails, but every week, a handful of people would reply and let me know how they are doing. So my emails did help me to stay connected to my friends and acquaintances.
In many ways, my weekly emails were my blogs (back when blogs didn't exist). When blogging became popular, I thought about creating a blog, and posting all of my previous emails. Then I decided that it would be too strange to publish my past into a present day blog. So, I pondered what should I write a blog about?
There are millions of blogs in the world. I didn't want to write a blog about just my own experiences. I want to write a blog that will help others, and give me a chance to share some of my thoughts and experiences. I am passionate about several things, and networking is one of them. A-Ha!, I decided to write this blog about how networking can help all of us improve our careers, develop deeper friendships, give and receive help from others, and learn things from a variety of people.
In the area of networking, I am a student just as you. We are all learning and doing at the same time. I welcome your suggestions and thoughts on how to network more effectively.
See you in cyberspace!
-Josh Li
For those of you who know me, especially from 1994 to 2001, you may recall getting a weekly email from me. In this email, I would write a bit about something interesting I did that week, followed by a piece of wholesome humor, then followed by a mental puzzle, or inspirational story.
The origins of this weekly email was that I forwarded a humorous email to people in my small group. A week later, I sent another email, and thought, hey, I should do this every week. Then I started to add more and more friends. Then I started to add colleagues from work. Then I added people I had networked with in a variety of settings. I guess I have always been an extrovert and loved to network, so I thought that a weekly email would help me to keep in touch with everyone. At the end, this weekly email was going out to about 1600 people. Of course, most people never replied to my emails, but every week, a handful of people would reply and let me know how they are doing. So my emails did help me to stay connected to my friends and acquaintances.
In many ways, my weekly emails were my blogs (back when blogs didn't exist). When blogging became popular, I thought about creating a blog, and posting all of my previous emails. Then I decided that it would be too strange to publish my past into a present day blog. So, I pondered what should I write a blog about?
There are millions of blogs in the world. I didn't want to write a blog about just my own experiences. I want to write a blog that will help others, and give me a chance to share some of my thoughts and experiences. I am passionate about several things, and networking is one of them. A-Ha!, I decided to write this blog about how networking can help all of us improve our careers, develop deeper friendships, give and receive help from others, and learn things from a variety of people.
In the area of networking, I am a student just as you. We are all learning and doing at the same time. I welcome your suggestions and thoughts on how to network more effectively.
See you in cyberspace!
-Josh Li
