Everyone has heard of it, some have done it, many have thought about doing it, and some just don’t know how to get started. And some of you have done it so much that it no longer does it for you!
It’s called networking.
It’s one of those words you hear in business over and over again, day after day. It is used, abused, and sometimes even used for fun. But through all its iterations, many people don’t really understand its true meaning. Or for that matter, its true value in business.
It’s like some of those other ‘business words’ you use but you don’t really know why. Words like benchmarking, leverage, optimization, and future proofing. The terms you hear from consultants are presented as very complicated in an effort to convince you that you would need their help to understand how they work.
I am here to tell you that it is not that difficult!
So let’s put this in perspective for you and maybe give the word some meaning in your business and remove the complication as a result. We are going to provide you with some kind of path or plan to make networking more effective in your business in 2009.
I believe that in business there are two types of networking: internal and external. To effectively create a business network, it is important to combine both networks to give you maximum impact.
The internal network.
Too often in business we forget to use the internal network that we have created; a network that exists through the people we have employed and the lives they lead outside of the business environment.
Each and every person who works with you has a life outside of business. And unless you take advantage, show interest and understand that life is being lost in the networking opportunities you can provide to the company.
Now I am not suggesting for a minute that you want your staff to work for you, or to think of working for you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What I am suggesting is that simply by understanding their lives and personal interests, you could meet the needs of both parties and in turn create a great opportunity not only to connect the business, but also to add value to everyone’s life.
Let me give you an example.
Sally, your receptionist, has worked with you for two years. She is a great asset to the team and a fantastic business ambassador. Talking to her over coffee, he realizes that she plays tennis on Saturdays, is an enthusiastic advocate for the hockey club where her boyfriend plays on Sundays, and helps out in the community through her involvement in church charity. local.
Armed with this knowledge, you are now in a position to add value to your life while adding three new networks to your business.
What can you do to help her with a tennis club sponsorship or fundraising event that could help them with a particular team they are looking to buy? By doing this, you make her look like a hero to her teammates and in turn add value to her life, while also gaining a direct line into the tennis community’s network of members and players to promote her business. It is a win-win.
The same kind of approach applies to her boyfriend’s hockey team and his church charity. What can you do for her to make her feel comfortable introducing you and your company to a new network?
The key here is to give these people on your internal network some incentive to help introduce you to that network. This incentive can be perceived or real, but an incentive is not the same. They are risking their reputation to introduce you. So make it worth doing that to make sure they are behind the presentation and that they are both committed to treating and benefiting everyone. It is easy.
The external network.
When you look at the two networks, the internal network is the easiest, as you already have the key contacts in the people you work with and an open door to the group of people in the network that you are not currently a part of. So you will see the benefits of this much faster, as the introduction should happen much faster.
The external network is a bit more difficult to work with.
Most business people think that networking in a business sense is simply going to a function, handing over your business card, and waiting for someone to call you because you’ve made a new contact on your network.
Wrong!
Developing an effective external network takes time, dedication, and planning. Here are some simple steps to take to ensure the best results with your networking activity.
1. Develop your 30-second ‘elevator pitch’ on what you do, how you do it, why you do it, what your passion is and what you like to do to improve their lives for others. This will help you position yourself to new people you meet as someone they should take the time to get to know and understand more of. Without this first impression stream of relevant, engaging, and engaging information, you’re just another handshake.
2. Create a variety of “answer against” questions that are more interesting and intriguing than “so what do you do?” To avoid the stereo type “here I am and here you are” exchange of first impression that inevitably leads to a dead end conversation about football. If you want to become a particular network of people, they must want you to be there! So you need to involve them.
3. In preparation for welcoming new people into your business network, make sure you have a strong database and data storage process and system to capture all the names you are looking to attract. Networking is only as good as the data you have on each and every person in your network. Without this, you cannot use it to your advantage.
4. Develop a roadmap of the types of people you would like to attract to your network. The kind of people who think they could give you the best new business presentations. Also those in which you think you could have a greater impact because of what you can do for them, not so much because of what they can do for you.
5. Seek to establish WHY they would give you these business presentations and help you build your business. What is the reward for them? In all cases, they must have a reason to connect with you on your behalf. And being “a good person” or having a “good product or service” is simply not enough.
6. Put a plan in place to establish how you are going to contact these people in your network, when you are going to do that, and why you are going to do it. Remember that you want to be a positive part of your network, not a nuisance.
7. Don’t overload your network. There is only one limit to “shake hands and kiss babies” that a person can do. Too much and you will tire of your networking. Look to target three or four specific groups and work well in those groups. These must be made up of a combination of:
o A group of your business category
o A group of your passion in life
o A community group where you think you can contribute or make a difference.
o A group related by business category or lifestyle.
By developing a networking strategy to link both your internal network and your external network, its exponential effect on the business will be extraordinary.
And last but not least, remember this golden rule of networking:
Networking is not based on the 6 degrees of separation fallacy. Networking works best with only 2 degrees of separation. that is, where the person with whom you are related acts as a presenter for another person on another network that you would like to meet. This offers you and your potential contact a common person in the middle of the network, ensuring better communication of everyone’s needs and personal support in both directions on the network.
Good luck! And remember that business development is the net effect of networking.