In a follow up to my August 25 post on finding your value give-away, the following article is a more indepth look at the 5 Steps to identifying your value.

Hard sales tactics adopted and utilized by most people in their strategies to network online and in the real world fall decidedly flat in an effort to create business relationships that lead to referral business. The 30 second elevator pitch, the blatant sales pitch, the product and services feature-benefit dump, a lack of listening skills, and the "work the room" mentality are giving way to a new much more effective strategy: giving value. Below is an example of the "work the room" business card treasure hunt modeled after a bad speed dating session seen on "Sex and the City."

Before you can give away something that others value, give it often, give it continuously, and give it without asking for anything in return, you must first understand how to identify what you have to offer. The following should help you get started in identifying your value to others:

5 Tips To Finding Your Value “Give”

1. Make a List of Your Accomplishments: don’t be shy in this exercise. Give a full list with details. Identify accomplishments and the experiences those accomplishments provided as food for thought and value for your networking partners

2. Make a List of Your Contacts of Influence: prioritize this list by who you know best and who KNOWs you. Identify who is willing to receive new networking partners from you. Look at your greatest connections and how they could bring value to your new potential networking partners

3. List Your Skill Sets: again do not be shy. Provide everything that is important to building your career. Document how your built these skills sets as this information can be very valuable to potential networking partners who are new to a niche

4. From the First Three Lists: analyze and choose what you believe to be the most valuable things you can give to your potential networking partners. What valuabe pieces have you identified that you can "bundle" together for one partner while roll out individually to another partner?

5. Create a Plan on How To Deliver: will you utilize a blog or begin a public speaking platform to help benefit your potential networking partners? Identify all of the channels in which you can deliver your value. Does a newsletter campaign fit your target partners? What online delivery systems could you utilize that would be more inline with your potential partner's needs?