Why pink is for girls and blue is for boys. The origin or of color favorites.

Are you going to the EWomen International conference in Dallas or the Diva Toolbox conference is in September? I am and I know other Diva Toolbox members will be there, too! I hope to meet some of you Dallas or in Boston! There are also innumerable local networking opportunities from Chambers of Commerce to Hot Pink Mamas. You should be involved in at least two networking groups and look for other types of events to attend, locally or nationally. Networking is a fun, effective and profitable way to grow you business when you do it right. Effective networking is a skill that anyone can learn with patience and practice by following these 5 Be-Attitudes.

1. Be prepared.

A. What is your primary reason for attending the event? Are you looking for inspiration, friendship, referral partners, sales? Be very clear what your intentions are before you go. Then spend time crafting a 30-second commercial that clearly articulates who you are, who you help and what you are looking for. If you would like a simple format for crafting a high quality and effective 30-second commercial, email me at minette@minetteriordan.com for a simple how-to guide or make sure to attend the Diva Toolbox Conference in September where I will be leading workshops on crafting a great commercial.

B. Always bring extra business cards/flyers, etc. You never know what the format of the meeting might be and when you will need that extra 10 or 20 or 200 business cards. Do NOT walk up to people and just hand them your card and start talking. Take time to visit with them and see if you are both interested in exchanging cards out of mutual interest or a potential opportunity to do business together. (See step 3 for more about this.)

2. Be bold!

This is no time to be a wallflower. Make an effort to meet a few new people at each event. You don’t have to be outgoing, pushy, or a social butterfly, just relax and walk up to one person standing alone and introduce yourself. Remember, networking is a skill that can be acquired and perfected. Set a goal for yourself, start small, “Today I will introduce myself to at least 2 new people.” At a large conference, you have the chance to meet hundreds of people, which can be overwhelming, especially if you are not a natural networker. Instead, pick a few each day to spend some time with and get to know well. You will naturally gravitate to the people you most need to meet, so enjoy the experience and follow your inner guidance.

3. Be aware of who is in the room.

The purpose of true, beneficial and profitable networking is to build referral partners and strategic relationships. Your attitude, as expressed in your 30-second commercial as well as your one on one conversations with people, should be one of education. Clearly and briefly articulating what you do and who you want to work with will help you build your business much more effectively than a sales pitch tossed at everyone you meet. That is why it is critical to tell people exactly WHO you are looking to meet. That person may or may not be at the same event as you, but the likelihood of someone in the room being able to give you the perfect referral is extremely high.

4. Be genuinely curious.

Everyone loves to be listened to. When you are at a traditional networking event, happy hour or conference, stop worrying about what you are going to say about YOU and focus on the other person. You will get your turn and if you don’t, move on quickly. When we actively listen to people, ask questions and show them that we are paying attention, we quickly build credibility, like-ability and respect. Be yourself, show interest and listen. This simple skill will allow you to zone in on who is a good strategic partner or potential client quickly. If you are not a match, you can move on to the next person, knowing you left that last person feeling great simply because you expressed genuine interest in them.

5. Be organized.

Follow up promptly. This is probably the most critical component of successful networking! Make sure that you respond to any requests for information, referrals, a follow up conversation or to set an appointment within 24 hours of meeting someone at a local networking event. At a multi-day conference, you should respond with 3 to 4 days after returning home. People are forgetful, we are all busy and our lives move very quickly. Show people that you were paying attention, that you respect their time and that you are genuinely interested in helping them in whatever way you can by following up with them quickly.

Before you attend your next networking event or conference, put some thought into these 5 steps. Relax, have fun and manage your expectations. Through repetition and education, you will see your business and your circle of friends grow quickly. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather do business with friends than strangers. That is what networking can do for you.

To learn more about Dr. Riordan, visit her Authority Page on DivaToolbox.com. Here is the link: http://bit.ly/b3Fq6D
Why pink is for girls and blue is for boys. The origin or of color favorites.20590Why pink is for girls and blue is for boys. The origin or of color favorites.
Why Pink is for Girls and Blue is for Boys

By Patti Wood, body language expert

My friend’s little daughter loves to wear pink. On a typical day Madison wears a pink shirt, a pink skirt, her favorite pink and purple heart socks, and finally her pink tennis shoes. The kid loves pink. Have you ever wondered why little girls love pink? Why not blue or green? This gender color preference starts so very young. Do kids have a choice? At the hospital, they wrap baby boys in blue blankets and baby girls in pink blankets.

When I was a kid we played a board game calledLIFE. Each player got a car to drive around the board and when youhad kids you got little blue people to put in your car to represent a boy and little pink people to represent a girl, and thus we were set for LIFE.

I am a body language expert and speak to corporations. In my long workshop I give trivia questions at the break. One of the Trivia questions I love to give my audiences is,What is the origin of the colors pink and blue to identify different genders? Most trivia sites will tell you that in ancient Rome parents feared that evil spirits might steal the souls of babies while they slept. Since they believed that the color blue protected someone against soul theft and they valued boys, parents swaddled boy babies in blue cloth at night. They hoped the blue color cloth would keep evil spirits at bay. Baby girls did not get swaddle insurance. That was discrimination. Ancient Romans did not value female children. Moreover, they didn’t think that the evil spirits would value them either. As a result, they didn’t fear the spirits would come after their baby girls and did not use the blue cloth protection plan.

Pink did not become known as thede rigueur color for girls until the 1900′s. The story goes that Victorian children became curious about where babies came from. The children asked their parents and they are said to have replied that babies came from cabbage patches. (All this time I thought the stork brought them.) The children guessed that boys came from blue cabbages but wondered what color cabbages girls came fromPink was the parents answer. Thus,Pink is for girls was added to the cultural lexicon.

One of my favorite websites is Science Daily. I was checking the site recently and found new research that shows men actually prefer the color blue and women prefer the redder shade of blue that is pink or lavender.

Researchers have not studied babies’ color preferences so they are not sure about whether nature or nurture has a hand in color preference but theorize that women’s pink preference is nature’s way of helping women chose ripe red fruit and men’s preference for blue comes from their need to determine good weather or a good water source.

The next time you see a baby in pink or blue garb you will be able to say, I know why pink is for girls and blue is for boys.

Patti Wood, body language expert, proffesional speaker and author of the book, Success Signals all rights reserved.