How great is it that business networks are starting to reopen their face to face meetings?
Your answer to that question depends very much on your own personal view of face to face networking. Logically you know that going to meet new people, build new relationships and have conversations with potential new clients is a really sensible and effective thing to do. So why is it so many people are reluctant networkers? For me, the biggest things I hear when I speak to professionals or when I run workshops fall into two broad categories: 1. I don’t really like speaking to strangers 2. I am not confident or comfortable when I go networking If you pause and think about this, a lot of people have the same issue. Many very outwardly confident networkers have told me in private how uncomfortable they feel when they first walk into a room of strangers. So how do you go about changing and reframing your approach to networking? The first thing I like to do is distinguish the difference between your network and networking. It’s a small but important point. I often define your network as the people who you have contact details for in your phone. At its core, and when done exceptionally well, networking is simply keeping this network of contacts warm, building and growing relationships with them. For me networking isn’t simply about going to events and meeting people. Networking is consciously building, maintaining and developing a really strong group of friendly and well connected individuals around you. It’s worth breaking a myth that I see perpetuated at this point too. It’s not about what you know, and it’s not about who you know. Networking is about who know you and most importantly, who knows you and how you benefit their contacts or their network. What does that mean in practical terms for you? Go and have conversations with your network, help them, connect them with each other and share what you are doing so they know how to refer you into their own network. The different approach here is that I look to add value or give to my network before I ask for something back. I network to help others and in turn they will very often help me. This is the core of being a successful networker. One quick word here about planning. Make sure you have thought about how networking (and your network) will add value to your business development activity. Understand the networks you need to build, the effective events you need to be at and the outcomes you are looking for. Yes, that’s right, have a plan for yourselves and goals and a target when you go networking. What are the outcomes you are looking for? Measure your outcomes against the money and time you invest in your networking. What happens if you don’t have many contacts in your network yet? You need to get yourself to some new networking meetings and go and build some relationships. Notice what the goal is here? It’s to build relationships, not to sell your services or products. Focus in on going networking to build relationships and help others. So, if you are going to go face to face networking here are 5 simple tips to get you started: 1. Go and be professionally curious. Go networking with the intention of meeting new and interesting people, building trust with them and find out what they do. If you find out what they do you might be able to help them out, which means you are already adding value to your network. 2. Be prepared to be slightly uncomfortable. Recognise the fact that so many other feel the same way and embrace this as part of networking. One 20+ year veteran of the networking scene told me once that she still sneaks off for a quiet 10 minutes in the loo when things get too much! 3. Use the pastry method – part 1. Use a pastry (or tea, coffee, wine or bad sandwich) as a micro reward for striking up three conversations with people you don’t know. It works really well, focuses your mind and helps keep you on track. 4. Use the pastry method – part 2. Hang around the pastries, tea, coffee, wine or bad sandwiches. Most people end up there at some point, and it might help you start up a conversation with them. 5. Use the pastry method – part 3. FILO (a type of pastry) is the acronym for First In, Last Out. If you want to make the most of networking commit time, aim to be there early and stay to the end. Too many people try and cram too much into a “quick visit” to a networking group. I look forward to seeing you at the next face to face networking group hanging around the pastries!
