Networking 101
I was talking to a colleague the other day about my entrance into the world of networking many years ago. The theme of our conversation was that no one had taught either of us how. We just jumped in and figured out how to make it work. Of course, I was lucky to have the master networker as my mentor (you all know who I am talking about!) but not everyone has that same fortune. And the concept doesn’t come naturally to everyone.
We then started talking about the basics of networking – what makes it work and what makes it fail.
The condensed version of my answer was that successful networking is about getting to know someone, listening well and asking the question “how can I help you?” with the genuine intent to do so.
What is your answer? What makes networking work and what makes it fail?
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PS And one important lesson I have learned, when I send a referral via email, i.e. in response to a Fred's List request, I always include the contact information for the person including their phone number. It makes it so much easier for the person seeking the referral to make the contact.
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It does take time to network but if done properly you'll never go hungry.
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So many people go to "networking events" to collect business cards. Their goal is to send an email the following morning (we have all gotten them at 8:58AM in our in box)...and they always say the same thing - Great to meet you, here are all the things my company does, what can I sell you today?
The successful networker's email, will be something more along the lines of: it was great meeting you, I enjoyed our conversation, and when can we get some time together to see how I might be able to help YOU grow your business.
It is truly better to give than to receive, and getting to know someone is the first step in the process.
As for your mentor and master networker - you have taken his lessons and made them your own. I hope we can all say the same.
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