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 Every several months Blanche Gaynor, our very own Women's
Business Cincinnati Roaming Reporter, will visit Networking Events throughout Cincinnati and provide her insight and perspective
on the events. You never know where Blanche Gaynor will pop up! Greetings! This quarter I will highlight 6 key networking events I attended; each one unique and meaningful in their own way. First, eWomen
Network. I like this particular organization, as I am exposed to so many talented women in the
Cincinnati area. In June, Founder and President Sandra Yancey was the guest speaker.
The event is always extra lively when Sandra comes to town. Each time she visits, Sandra shares
another “personal and professional” growth experience—she wisely shares her mistakes and successes.
Her message this time was to encourage business owners to take advantage of strategic alliances and to reach out to
do things differently while staying true to your core values. July’s guest speaker was Lynn McInturf of McInturf & Associates, a sales training company. Lynn takes a totally different approach to developing the sales force. Her style is based on the premise that the skills required for building customer relationships and managing the sale force cannot be taught in a one-day seminar. It takes hard work, and it doesn’t happen overnight. She equates building business to mountain climbing; those who camp before they reach the top don’t achieve success, and it goes without saying that those who quit forfeit success. Granted you may rest along the way, but not too long or you’ll find you’ve made camp.
South Shores “Who the Heck do you Know?” Networking event at the South Shores Residence in Newport, Kentucky – This was the most unusual networking event I’ve ever attended. We met at their Clubhouse overlooking the Ohio River and the entrance fee was an appetizer dish. That’s right – everyone brought an appetizer! South Shores provided the place and the drinks. My goodness it was delightfully crazy. Women from all types of business backgrounds congregated and chatted. I understand they’ll have another such gathering sometime in September. You really need to go to experience the fun of meeting people in a totally relaxed atmosphere. If I receive another invite, I’ll pass it on.
Blanche Gaynor
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February/March 2009 – An Eventful Month on All Fronts Like January, February will also go down in the annals of history.
President Obama not only signed a $787 billion stimulus bill, he unveiled a $3.5 trillion
budget and announced he’ll cut the national budget by 50 percent by 2013. Locally, no major bills were signed or multi-million dollar budgets released for approval, but various organizations hosted events to stimulate an individual’s brain cells. The topics which served as electrodes included support systems, technology and giving back, recognizing clients and colleagues, and marketing to women. Support Systems. The Business Courier hosted its first 2009 bizwomen breakfast event for Tri-State businesswomen. This program is unusual for a couple of reasons. First, you don’t have to be a member to participate. Second, it is NOT a regular monthly event and it is not held at the same place. I learned this event started out very small and has grown in popularity to the point that when the event is announced it sells out within the week. The February 13 gathering accommodated about 300 women. A representative from the Business Courier sat at our table and asked our opinion regarding making it monthly and/or opening it to more women. The participants at my table shared that what makes the event attractive is the fact that it is not monthly and it is supposed to be intimate. As a matter of fact, we shared that 300 may be too large and they might want to consider scaling it back. He was quite surprised by our response. It was my first time, but the program was designed to resonate their posted objective; i.e., “Bizwomen is about connecting, supporting, learning and growing our region’s women’s marketplace.” That morning’s topic was support and the different ways it can be provided. The keynote speaker, Maribeth Rahe, President and CEO of Fort Washington Investment Advisors, did a superb job of summarizing support mechanisms and defining them. Family and friends, critical in helping us center ourselves to focus so as to ensure what we are doing is meaningful. Professional colleagues—inside and outside our areas of expertise and chosen industries—to keep us from becoming stagnant and to be aware of the world outside of our business. Mentors—those of us lucky enough to have such a relationship—who help us work through issues and hold us accountable for our decisions. This next one, I cannot recall if she brought it up, but it was discussed. Faith. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines “faith” as: allegiance to duty or person, fidelity to one’s promises, belief and trust and loyalty to God, belief in traditional doctrines. Even before the official program started, I was the recipient of a gesture of support and giving back. I was seated at a table at the back of the room. Suddenly, someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned, I came face-to-face with Carol Buckley, of Comey & Shepherd Realtors. I met her through eWomenNetwork, but had not seen her for months. This tiny woman (I don’t believe she is even 5’ tall), in the most unobtrusive yet totally sincere manner, warmly embraced me and let me know how much she has missed seeing me around. This welcome was doubly treasured when I saw her walk back to her table, a couple of rows ahead of me. Her place had her back to me. I was struck by the fact that, to see me, she had to turn around. To reach out to me, she left her breakfast to touch me. I was amazed that this woman didn’t even know how incredible an action that was. Technology and Giving Back. Combining these two topics might seem like an oxymoron, but since Donna Drury-Heine was behind both of them, it makes perfect sense. Donna hosts a monthly event called Loveland’s Amazing Women. There is no membership fee to attend, and you don’t even have to be from Loveland. Like the bizwomen program, Donna arranges for meaningful discussions to occur during the monthly gatherings. (To learn more about these gatherings, click on the Networking and Events Calendar on the sidebar.) Unlike the bizwomen program, this event occurs during a time that does not require a fee to cover a meal. Also, this event is always held at the Blue Chip Gourmet Café in historic Loveland. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed. During February, Donna arranged for Kendra Ramirez of Sales Konnect and Suzanne LaChapelle of Suzanne LaChapelle Design to lead the discussions. Donna started out the meeting by explaining that these gatherings are designed for two reasons: 1) to provide a place where women can meet just one or two other women to start a meaningful relationship, and 2) to arrange a discussion that will help businesswomen succeed. The February 19 topic of the day was “Social Networking,” in today’s “wired” community that means “networking electronically.” I am terribly intimidated by this new electronic age. Kendra and Suzanne worked cooperatively. The explanations provided by Kendra regarding how and when to use “LinkedIn,” “MySpace,” and “Facebook” were the clearest I have yet heard. She highlighted “do’s and don’ts,” identified who uses which social network and why, and encouraged trying “one at a time” until you become comfortable with the network, before becoming involved with the next. From this event, I gained courage to utilize LinkedIn more in my efforts to network with others. Kendra provides workshops on each of these topics. To learn more about the workshops, check out her website: www.saleskonnect.com. Recognizing Colleagues and Clients. Stock Yards Bank and Trust is a well respected independent bank headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. They recently opened a branch in downtown Cincinnati and hired Mary Falls, a dynamic financial advisor who has one of the most fantastically upbeat personalities I have ever encountered. She is also a whiz at networking, and often helps me think of the names of individuals I can’t recall to refer others to— man or woman—to help them with a business need. During February, Stock Yards hosted an Open House at their Cincinnati Branch. They are located in a historic federal reserve bank—where gold bullion was once housed in an underground vault. They invited current clients, business colleagues, and potential clients to show their appreciation for the success they’ve enjoyed so far. It was quite a crowd. I heard one gentleman (whom I later learned was a previous banker who now serves people with incomes over $250,000) tell the Senior Vice President they chose Stock Yards because of their historical success, even in the current climate, with managing their loans and deposits. Not a bad conversation to overhear. I spoke to the gentleman personally to learn more about the why. I ran into several people I know: my accountant, Terri Thelen (that is always a good sign), Mary Mendel who is enjoying a new career with Spring Grove Cemetery, and Carol Buckley. I seized the moment when I saw Carol standing by herself, to hurry over and let her know what her embrace meant to me. You know what she did next, she talked up my resume development skills to a friend of hers who finds herself in a time of transition! Amazing! Marketing to Women. Now you might ask, why would a woman go to a seminar about marketing to other women. Two reasons: 1) Vanessa Freytag, Executive Director of The Women’s Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Foundation, former co-founder of Women’s Business Cincinnati and owner of W-Insight, a marketing firm, was the guest speaker: 2) I know nothing about marketing. You know what, out of approximately 30 to 35 attendees, only five men were in attendance. Talk about denial. Over and over and over, the media in the last 10 to 15 years has shared that women make most of the decisions regarding purchases and contributions, yet the male species has decided they don’t need to learn how to market to us! Vanessa carefully walked us through the nuances of how women perceive things differently from men. So in reality, it was an exercise in how to market to men and women. Vanessa’s presentation was humorous without being frivolous and peppered with data to support the importance of how the marketing is approached, providing “do’s and don’ts emphasized with examples. Vanessa also encouraged everyone to read Fara Warner’s The Power of the Purse. The presentation included so many excellent recommendations, choosing the best is difficult. So, I’ll summarize my take: LISTEN (to what she says and what she doesn’t say); OBSERVE (her values and goals – goals are generally affiliated with a child’s education or taking care of a family member); TREAT HER WITH RESPECT (don’t talk down to her and don’t ignore her); BE TRUTHFUL (try to pull the wool over her eyes and you are dead meat for life, and she’ll spread the word). None if it “rocket science”; all of it common sense. So why do men find it so difficult? They aren’t bothering with the first secret —“LISTENING.” Now, if I can just learn to incorporate these into my own interactions with my species. So much to look forward to. Blanche Gaynor
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