As promised, this week we will be talking about our girl, Introvert Irene. Introvert Irene is someone who wants to save the world and has the genius to do it, but she wants to do it all from the safety of her own room. Networking events for her can be overwhelming and incredibly draining. And if she could avoid them all together, there is no doubt she would.

I see aspects of myself in all the women I encounter, but Introvert Irene is one I relate to the most especially when I first started my business. She’s someone I love to work with because I know what it’s like to have greatness inside you and be standing in your own way due to not feeling confident enough to put you or your product out there.

I have learned that when it comes to networking, I had to develop different methods to help me network effectively and I want to share them with all my other Introvert Irenes. The first thing I recommend is to make a deal with yourself. Say you’re at a networking event and you’re starting to get a little anxious. Before you run and retreat, push yourself to make 3-5 deep connections. Once you accomplish that, you may go up to your room and unwind in whatever way is best for you.

The second tip I have for you is to create a strategy for yourself. What time are you the most active? When is your energy at its highest? Schedule your networking events and follow up calls around these times to help you be at your best. My husband often tells me that I am solar powered. As funny as that is, it couldn’t be more true. My ideal work window is from 9 in the morning to about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I start to decline any time after that. To help myself stay at my best, I schedule events for those times. In business or just life things don’t always go as planned and we must adjust. Don’t allow that to throw you off your game!

The last tip I have for Introvert Irene is to just DO IT! Believe me, I know what it’s like to talk yourself out of making calls, going to a conference or another networking event. You come up with all these reasons, which are really just excuses, of why you can’t do what you know you should. After making a deal with yourself to make a few deep connections, creating a strategy to work best with you, your next course of action is to simply execute it. Don’t let another opportunity pass you by.

If you can relate to Introvert Irene in any way and would like some more information please feel free to chat with me! Go to www.tishtimes.com, click on Contact at the top right corner and someone from my team will be in contact with you.