I must admit the title of this post is a bit in-your-face. After all, who am I to tell you what you don't know about professional networking! You might just be the best there is. Or you might be a wiz at wowing everyone you meet and developing thousands of effective professional relationships. If that is the case, you have my compliments. But going by my experience, that would make you somewhat of a rarity.

 

Most people I meet (and I meet a lot in my profession as an Executive Coach and professional speaker) confess that the prospect of networking is as high on their list of fears as is public speaking. Surprisingly, the ones who say they are brilliant at networking might actually be the worst because they are doing it all wrong!

 

Let's consider some of the mistakes people make when trying to network, and how we might mitigate these. Here are 5 things you can do to be effective at networking:

 

Networking and relationship development go hand-in-hand: A lot of people believe they can develop an effective network without needing to invest time and effort in the interaction. You can develop a "vast" network that way. But it sure wont be an effective one. I see people hurrying from one person to the next in a seminar trying to gather as many visiting cards as they can, not realizing that the other person wouldn't have any recollection of who they are when they are contacted later. People remember you when you have bothered to invest time in knowing ore about them and sharing a little of yourself. People remember "relationships"; not the guy who took their card and immediately scampered away to the next person in the gathering

Before you "Ask", you may want to "Give": Great networkers now that it is important to offer value to their network before they ask for anything. Networkers with blinkered vision don't understand that. They are more intent on what they can garner from the other person. Guess what! The other person isn't an idiot. They will know if you are in it only for "Your" gains. And once they figure that, you are not going to get anything out of them, even if they can assist you. It's like going to a birthday party and expecting a return gift without carrying one yourself. Life doesn't work that way. It's kinda mean, you see. And mean people get seen for what they are

Look for opportunities to add value to people: The best way of developing a sustainable network is to proactively look for ways that you can delight people around you. Mostly, it doesn't cost much to add value to people's lives. And sometimes it takes a few minutes. But the value you create by doing something for people when they least expect it goes a long way in building your personal equity with them. There have been occasions when I have spoken for organizations or forums and done it at zero cost because I knew those forums were non profit or because there was some other compelling reason. What most folks might have seen as a huge waste of time on my part (being one of the most highly paid speakers in the country) was actually my way of giving value when the people concerned didn't expect I would do something for free. In some cases, these actions on my part have in the long term got me revenue opportunities that were much larger than what I "lost". At one of the forums I spoke at no-charge, the main promoter of the event later went out of his way to promote me with all his key clients. Having said that, in a lot of cases, my actions have not resulted in creating any opportunities. But that doesn't matter. It only bothers you if you are focused on the short term. Having a long term view means you can do things for people without any selfish motive. The universe gives you back what you offer up to it. And even if it doesn't, it's okay. You have still built tremendous goodwill. The latter gives you a sustainable network

Spend more time with "Real" people: I must admit there was a time when I had fallen into the trap of giving the virtual world more importance than the real world. When not at work, I would be tapping away on my mobile on some app or the other, chatting with people. In my own world, I figured I was networking really well. That being said, there is a difference between speed chatting while doing a dozen other things and really spending quality time with a few people. I see people sitting next to other people (friends) in a room chatting with other "friends" on the phone. But none of these people are talking to each other. And they are all there in the same room. How strange is that! It's like telling the folks sitting right next to you that they aren't as important as the folks on the other side of the phone. Certainly doesn't seem respectful. and surely won't develop relationships that translate into strong networks

Trust, Care and Respect people: There can be no relationship where there isn't trust. Blind trust can only happen when you know the other person cares for your interests. And when these two things happen there is respect! Where these three converge, there is a relationship. and that is the basis of effective networking.

As with most things in life, there is a lot more to say on this subject. However, the stuff mentioned up here sums up the essence of what one can do to network more effectively.

 

Here's wishing you happy networking......

 

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