A DIFFERENT BALLGAME

Women — and this should come as no shock — do business differently than men do.

"If by 'doing business' you're talking about building relationships between clients and co-workers, then businesswomen are starting to say, 'Yes, we socialize and build relationships differently than men, and that's OK,' " said Christine St.Clare, advisory partner with KPMG Atlanta, a firm that specializes in audit, tax and financial services. "It doesn't have to be a football game or golf. It can be a wine-tasting event, a spa retreat or a fashion show.

"I read where a law firm sponsored an event for high-level women executives at a shoe salon, and one of the women said that was the way she liked to meet other women: by discovering common interests."

Of course, businessmen always have done that. They bond by sharing an activity they enjoy, such as watching a ballgame, playing golf or fishing.

"They become buddies by engaging in an activity together, and they may not talk all that much while doing it," said Myra McElhaney, an Atlanta-based corporate trainer, speaker and writer.

Women bond through talking and getting to know one another, and shared activities come out of that bond, McElhaney said.

"Women are natural-born networkers, because, for women, talking is an activity," she said. "It's the way they process things and come up with solutions."

McElhaney believes that is one reason that groups like the Atlanta Women's Network and Georgia Executive Women's Network formed in the 1970s and 1980s: to provide professional women, who might have few female counterparts in their own companies, with a place to share ideas and leadership challenges. Now that women make up almost half of the work force

(48 percent by 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Labor) and more women hold executive positions, McElhaney has seen more companies establish internal networking groups for women.

Four years ago, St.Clare helped form

KPMG's Women's Advisory Board. Its goal was to improve the recruitment, retention, development and advancement of women within the company. The board set up mentoring and leadership development programs, but it also piloted the KPMG Network of Women (KNOW) in Atlanta. The program is now in 60 KPMG markets.

"What makes our network so successful is that it creates forums for women from all levels and functions to get together and exchange ideas and overcome obstacles. It's like having a group of peers help you

problem-solve," St.Clare said.

The chapters are run locally by groups of women from each office. "The overall goal is to help women reach their personal and professional goals. What women want is balance, and, if we can help them achieve success in their personal lives, we are also helping their careers," she said.

KNOW chapters plan events like KNOWing Wine, which is a fun subject and a good skill to have when taking clients to dinner; golf clinics to introduce women to the game for personal or business reasons; and community service activities, such as Habitat for Humanity construction projects, with co-workers or clients. Seminars on the art of negotiation, attitude, business protocol, time management and other subjects are held over breakfast, at lunch or after hours. Sometimes women bring prospective clients or friends.

Over four years, KPMG has been contacted by more than 80 organizations to inquire about the success and best practices of the networking group.

"Since the advisory board's inception, our turnover of women employees has decreased by 29 percent," St.Clare said. "The number of female partners has risen to 19 percent and women receiving career promotions increased by 61 percent."

A surprising statistic: The turnover rate for women is 0.6 percent less than that for men in the company.

In almost 32 years of working at KPMG, St.Clare has seen many changes concerning women in the work force, and she believes them to be positive and exciting.

"Women have struggled with the idea that they weren't as good as men in establishing business relationships, but we've found we are good at it. We just have to find the right vehicle," she said.

Each year, KPMG Atlanta hosts a retreat that includes speakers, golf and spa treatments for female executives around the city — a retreat that results in new relationships and business.

Key cog to business

For Carol M. Flammer, president of Flammer Relations, networking always has been a good business tool.

"All of my clients come from referrals — either from existing clients or people I know," she said.

She has met some clients through her community service work. Others come from other agencies.

"You wouldn't think PR agencies would help each other, but we do it all the time, because we have different niches and belong to some of the same associations," she said.

Flammer Relations specializes in residential real estate, business-to-business and nonprofit clients, and the company recently started a social media division to help clients blog and increase their online presence.

Flammer serves on committees with the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and attends board meetings of the National Association of Home Builders because she holds its MIRM (Member, Institute Residential Marketing) certification.

"It's a great way to make business acquaintances. A lot of people are scared to go places where they might not know anyone," Flammer said, "but that's how you build a business. If you get out and meet people, you'll get referrals."

This summer, she attended a National Association of Real Estate Editors meeting to pitch story ideas for her clients. "I looked at the name badge of a guy crossing the street with me and realized it was someone I'd worked with by phone. We talked all the way to the meeting, and now I have a face to go with the name," she said.

With women, formal networking leads to friendships and fun.

"Two years ago, four of us in real estate-related businesses and members of the PRSA [Public Relations Society of America] decided to do a girls' night out. Now the e-vite list is up to 48 people. About 15 or 20 of us show up 10 times a year at a restaurant. We talk a little shop, swap job leads and catch up on family news," Flammer said.

Many women network through community service and posts on charitable boards, McElhaney said.

"When you're working side by side on a project, you get to know people and their characters," she said. "Women have always been good at building relationships through the pay-it-forward kind of networking — helping someone because we want to and can. What we're not always good at is asking for the return favor."

Networking is a way that women strategize and support one another, said Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, founder and owner of AboutYOU Inc., an Atlanta career consulting firm.

"We do it differently, not necessarily better than men," she said. "We don't always know how to move from the social talk to asking for the business. Men traditionally have networked around sports and events, which means if a woman goes to the pool instead of playing golf at the company retreat, she may find herself out of the loop later."

Kahnweiler started reading the sports pages and understanding football when she entered the corporate world. She also learned about male etiquette.

"When guys are hanging out, they rib each other. If they like you, they tease you, too. I've seen women get uptight about it. I just tease back. It helps to lighten up," she said.

Hit the greens

Kahnweiler recently spoke on "the art of networking on the golf course" at an Atlanta WomenOnCourse event. The organization holds events around the country to introduce women to golf for pleasure or business.

"Women tell us that it's one of the best networking events they've ever been to, and I think it's because the focus is on learning a new skill and activity," said Donna Craig, founder of WomenOnCourse.

Craig shows them how people can learn to play in a scramble-type tournament in 36 hours, and, if they don't want to play, they can expand their business contacts by helping to plan a corporate tournament.

It makes sense to find things in common with co-workers, whether it's sports, charities, work/life balance or kids, Kahnweiler said. "Relationships should be about learning and what someone can teach you. Unless you diversify your network — male/female, different company departments, inside and outside your field — you are missing a lot of opportunities."