You're My Idol Working with a mentor may be just what you need to improve your business skills.
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When 33-year-old image consultant Michelle Damiano decided sheneeded a mentor, she employed that finely honed skill that manywomen learn at their mother's knee: shopping.
Put your car keys away, everybody. There's no Mentors"R" Us store stocked with a selection of experiencedprofessionals. But Damiano adopted the same methodical approach tofinding a mentor that she would use to buy a car. Since imageconsultants aren't in great supply in rural State College,Pennsylvania, where her business, Impressions, is located, Damianogot a New York City phonebook and combed the listings for imageconsultants in the Big Apple. After cold-calling several andlanding in-person interviews with a few, she found a match, andbefore she knew it, she was learning the ropes by volunteering ather new mentor's business.
Although the whole arrangement sounds a bit calculated, Damianoconsiders the guidance she received through her mentoringrelationship invaluable-the kind of experience she probablycouldn't have had in State College. In the past three years,her sales have grown from $20,000 to $100,000 a year.
Mentoring expert Florence Stone, author of Coaching, Counseling & Mentoring: How toChoose and Use the Right Technique to Boost EmployeePerformance (AMACOM), says this relationship worked becauseDamiano knew what she needed and created a plan to find it. Plus,the mentor got something from the relationship: free labor."Ideally, the relationship should be a quid pro quo,"says Stone, director of membership and programs at the AmericanMan-agement Association in New York City. "Both sides shouldget something out of it."
Not everyone needs a mentor to succeed in business, but itcan't hurt, especially if there are key areas where yourknowledge is skimpy, like perhaps technology or marketing.That's where a mentor comes in handy. And if one mentor isgood, well, sometimes more is even better. If you can't findone person to fulfill the mentor role, says Stone, look for"multiple mentors," different people you can turn to foradvice in areas where you need development. You might have onementor to provide guidance about financial decisions, another onewho can discuss marketing.
Like Damiano, you can "shop" for a mentor bynetworking at trade shows or professional gatherings. You can alsomake contacts by listening to the grapevine-an experiencedprofessional whom others describe as friendly and helpful may makean excellent mentor. Once you've selected a potential mentor,take these steps:
- Approach the mentor and talk about how he or she becamesuccessful.
- Suggest further discussions, and make an ap-pointment. At themeeting, express your business needs and questions, and write downthe answers. Later, evaluate the answers to see if they really werevaluable.
- Conclude by saying "You've been very helpful. Can Icontact you when I need advice?" Avoid asking someone directlyto be your mentor; if the relationship is mutually beneficial, itwill naturally evolve into a mentoring relationship.
You'll find your mentoring relationship will reach a naturalconclusion when you've learned all you can or when the mentorcan no longer spend time with you. At that point, try to subtlysolicit the names of other entrepreneurs-in effect startingthe shopping process all over again. If you follow up with thoserecommendations, Stone says, be sure to thank your original mentorfor the info.
And when all is said and done, think about being a mentor to ayounger colleague. You don't have to be middle-aged to offergood advice. "Being a mentor is not an age thing," saysStone. "It's an attitude."
