12B — April 12 - 25, 2013 — New Jersey — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
Parsippany, NJ – Networking is a key to success in commercial real estate, and it’s one of the mantras of membership in CREW-NJ. To address the importance of networking – and provide tips on how to make it work – Judy Nitsch, founder and chairman of the Boston-based Nitsch Engineering, offered a presentation titled “Casting Your Nets to Grow Your Business” at the March meeting of CREW-NJ. The event was held at the Hilton Parsippany. CREW NJ March Monthly Meeting: The Importance of Networking
2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President & CREW Delegate Patricia Riedel, CBRE, Inc. patricia.riedel@cbre.com
“People do business with people they like, that they’re friends with and who they trust,” said Nitsch, who is also on the board of the national CREW Network. “They feel indebted to you for your friendship and become interested in your success.” Some of her networking tips were very basic: Get to event early and see whose name tags are there (to see who’s attending); keep your business cards in your right pocket and put cards you get from others in your left pocket; have a pen in your
President-Elect & CREW Delegate Monica Ceres, Giordano Halleran & Ciesla mceres@ghclaw.com Immediate Past-President & Advisor Cheryl Hardt, CBRE, Inc. cheryl.hardt@cbre.com Treasurer Rebecca Machinga, WithumSmith+Brown, PC rmachinga@withum.com Recording Secretary Stacey Weinberg, Federal Business Centers sweinberg@federalbusinesscenters.net Director, Membership Mary Lynn Kearns, Dancker, Sellew & Douglas mkearns@dancker.com
Judy Nitsch
pocket (not in your pocketbook); do your follow-ups the next day while your contacts are still fresh and to demonstrate to prospective clients that you’ll follow up when you handle their matter.
Other tips she offered included, “focus more on listening than talking. A good business networker is actually more of an introvert than an extrovert. It’s easier to be interested than to be interesting. You should have a 60/40 ratio of listening vs. talking.” If there’s a featured speaker, “always go up to meet them because that’s what the important people do,” Nitsch urged. “Attend an event not just because the speaker is of interest, but also because the event itself is of interest to prospective clients, so they will be there. If you don’t know anyone when you walk in, go talk to someone who is alone. If you see a client of yours at the event, sit with them.”
As resources for the art of networking, she offered several books authored by Ford Harding, including Rainmaking, Creating Rainmakers and Cross Selling Success.
“There are two characteristics of ‘rainmakers’,” Nitsch explained. “Number one, they’re optimists. Turn the voice off in your head if you’re not an optimist,” she said, offering an example of how she sent a letter to a CEO seven times before the CEO called with a thank you for the continued follow-up. “Many follow-ups lead to name and brand recognition.
Director, Programming Marta Villa, CBRE, Inc. marta.villa@cbre.com Director, Philanthropy Rachel Brindisi rmbrindisi@gmail.com
“Number two, rainmakers have a system,” Nitsch explained. “For our company, it’s being involved in organizations, like CREW, that our clients are members of or attend programs.”
Finally, relating to the process of networking, “have realistic expectations,” she said. “Do come away with business cards, but understand that at each event, you’re not going to come away with a $100 million project. But you just might ‘set the table’ for one.” In CREW Network business, Nitsch provided information, deadlines and dates for several upcoming programs. The deadline for applications for Bridging the C-Suite Gap mentoring programs is April 26th. “Get your younger people involved early on,” she advised. “And when you go to an event, invite a young person to attend with you.”
Co-Director, Sponsorship Diane Menard, Prestige Title Agency, Inc. diane.menard@prestigetitle.net
Another deadline is nominations for CREW Impact Awards and Circle of Excellence, April 19th. Also, the Spring Leadership Summit and Council Meeting will be held June 13-14 in Scottsdale, AZ.
Co-Director, Sponsorship Patricia Faulkner, NAI Global pfaulkner@naiglobal.com
In CREW NJ business, the March philanthropy was the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, with attendees donating food products and childcare items. Also, the Golf Committee asked members to donate items for silent auction and baskets at the upcoming 12th Annual CREW NJ Golf Classic and Reception, slated for May 8th at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, NJ. The event will benefit Ocean’s Harbor House. The next event for CREW NJ will be the April meeting, slated for April 18 at the Hyatt in Morristown, NJ. Gretchen Wilcox of G.S. Wilcox & Co. will discuss her career path in commercial real estate and how her company became one of the top independent mortgage banking firms in the country. The philanthropy will be collecting books for young people in support of NJ Bookladies. CREWNJ is the New Jersey Chapter of CREWNetwork (Commercial Real Estate Women Network), which is dedicated to the advancement of women in commercial real estate. Membership organizations are comprised of over 8,000 members representing every discipline within the industry and are located in 74 chapters across North America. CREW Network seeks to influence the success of the commercial real estate industry by focusing on fulfilling four key initiatives: business development, leadership development, industry research and career outreach. Members represent fields as diversified as accountants, architects, appraisers, asset/property managers, attorneys, consultants, developers, lenders, leasing and sales brokers, mortgage bankers/brokers, marketing specialists, market and investment analysts, corporate real estate representatives and title/escrow officers. For more information on programming, sponsorship or membership, please contact CREW NJ at (609) 585-6871, via email crewnj@crewnetwork.org or visit the website at www.crewnj.org.
Director, Special Projects-Golf Robin Grossman, Zycus rgros30687@aol.com
Director, Special Projects - Website/PR Susan Karp, Cole, Schotz, Meisel,
Forman & Leonard, P.A. skarp@coleschotz.com
Advisor Silvana Finizio, Carousel Industries of North America sfinizio@carouselindustries.com
Advisor & By-Laws Sheila Nall, KSS Architects snall@kssarchitects.com www.crewnj.org
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker