What's in your networking toolbox? - by Ron Bates

Are you stuck trying to accomplish your networking/visibility objectives by simply using one networking site? Are the people you're trying to connect with even in the site(s) you belong to?

Networking isn't just about "networking sites". Picking up the phone, or sending someone a direct email also counts! Networking sites can help you identify people you are attempting to connect with and/or network through, but that isn't the only source of information for identifying people.

Jump on the Internet and identify database resources that can help you identify the people you are trying to connect with and/or network through. Not all database resources are subscription based. Some are free -and- industry specific (e.g., www.MediaPost.com). Even some of the subscription based resources have free trial/demo periods or access to free information that is enough to point you in the right direction. You can access a heck of a lot of extremely valuable information during a free trial period on a high end subscription database.

Depending on the investment you are able to make, it might actually be worth it to you to subscribe to an on-line database service. If you compare the ROI associated with successfully closing that deal you're working on or finding that ideal job through your networking efforts with the cost of membership in a subscription based on-line database service - it might just be a no brainer.

Some of the top on-line subscription database sites are:

www.hoovers.com
www.lead411.com
www.zoominfo.com
www.sgaexecutivetracker.com
www.jigsaw.com

Is it time to add to your networking toolbox?

Happy Networking,

Ron Bates
Managing Principal
Executive Advantage Group
rbates@executive-advantage.com

www.cv-advantage.com (includes discount codes to several on-line database sites)
www.job-search-campaign.com
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