Networking is more about giving than receiving
Networking, whether for your business or social life, is more about what you can give than what you can get. Whether face to face, or over the internet, our motives are very easily detected by others and will have a dramatic effect on the success of our networking endeavour.
Effective business networking is the linking together of individuals who, through trust, mutual encouragement and relationship building, become walking, talking advertisements for one another. It comes in many forms, is accessible to all and is an essential component in building our perfectly balanced lives.
What is the value of networking?
Networking gives us the ability to develop a circle of friends and associates who will encourage and support us on our journey. It gives us a vehicle to look for opportunities to give unto others as we would have others give unto us. Networking takes us out of our comfort zone and gives us an environment to grow our people skills and knowledge base whilst providing a training ground for learning to work with people with different personalities and interests.
Used wisely, networking gives us a platform to build our profile in the business and social community.
How do I get connected?
Be available! Look for opportunities to connect with others, be real and remain relevant. Seeking opportunities to give out to others are the greatest way of connecting with like minded people. Join a community or charity group, sporting association or your kid’s school P & C. There are many avenues to connect with those around you but one thing remains constant; successful networking is limited to those who seek to give rather than get.
How do I prioritise my time to ensure that I have opportunity to network?
As a business owner, I must ensure I spend a proportionate amount of my time working “on” my business, not just “in” my business. For me, networking is a distinct strategy in my marketing plan. Having a better understanding of what avenues are available to connect, what principles you need to employ to build trusting relationships and what outcomes are needed from your time spent, you can plan your week with the same amount of priority placed on networking as any other part of your business operation.
Networking, like many other things, can become a safe haven, non productive activity if it is done out of proportion to an overall plan. For me, I have looked at a few different options and settled on three that ensure I maintain balance.
1. A community organisation that is solely for giving with no expectation of return,
2. A business network that is open to all types of business, and
3. A niche business sector network for professional development and cross marketing.
What about internet based networking?
I struggled with getting involved with this avenue of networking because of my biased opinions and preconceptions. Thankfully, I was encouraged by others to give it a go and now I love it. I have found using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and this blog, has given me far more opportunity to give out to those around me. The intrinsic benefit has been a new circle of relationships and actual measurable results in new business. There are so many people far more able to teach on the subject of social networking for business than me, however, over the next few weeks I will share with you what I have done and what has worked.
The key remains, whether online or in person, successful networking depends on your ability to give to others before expecting a return. The principle “it is more blessed to give than to receive” can only be understood when it is given a go. Every time I employ this principle, it works!
For those of you, like me, who need a list of “10 Steps for Successful Business Networking”, I have added them in the Business support section of our site.
Have an outstanding week, you deserve it!
Cheers
Grant Herbert
The People Builder
