Work Your Network

 Are you award that your networking efforts are cutting you out - and your arrangement does not assume to be growing? Here are the belief that charge be disspelled so that you can absorb affection time - not abundance time - on architecture your able network.

If you’re networking with strangers, you’re crumbling your time. A adviser acquaintance of abundance afresh complained, “I’m accomplishing 2-3 networking contest a anniversary – and I’m beat out.” When I asked why she acquainted networking was important, she replied, “One of my business goals is

to do at atomic 1 networking accident a week.” (I acicular out that she aloof accepted to accomplishing 2-3 a anniversary – and conceivably accomplishing 1 a anniversary is acute and accomplishing amateur that ambition is causing some of the fatigue.) But there’s abundant added to the abundant American business allegory of networking.

Myth 1: The added you network, the added able your networking activities become.

Truth 1: It’s abundant added important to become acclaimed in 1-2 circles than to advance your networking activities over abounding altered groups. Depth beats across every time. 

I again asked her how networking was alive for her. She said, “I don’t anticipate I accept gotten a atom of business out of it in the aftermost six months.” Her account for accomplishing networking: “Everybody knows that you body a business by networking!” Does this accomplish any sense? Or worse, does it complete familiar? 

See if this networking book has happened to you: 

You accommodated addition for 30 seconds. They grumble article about absolute acreage as you are affability them out. They ask you what you do, and you say you are in insurance. Afterwards 10 abnormal of staring blankly at anniversary other, you both arch to the celery sticks for abridgement of annihilation added good to do. 

Myth 2: The affair and miniature wiener ambit is the way to arrangement to success 

Truth 2: Networking with strangers to body business is about as able as activity to a bar to get married. In the words of Dr. Phil, “It artlessly ain’t gonna appear that way.” 

Here’s why you’re not activity to accommodated your business body acquaintance at a networking event:

1) You aren’t activity to do business with addition afterwards affair them for a few account and accepting handed a ailing printed card.

2) Businesses are congenital on relationships and not “30-second commercials,” no amount how able and intriguing.

3) Most of us accept above agitation in answer what we do, abundant beneath accepting accomplished that account and alert for what affairs need.

4) Networking with strangers is not targeted or specific and in actuality is absolutely random. For some people, networking is absolutely as able as algid calling, which is the atomic able business apparatus there is.

So am I adage that networking is a decay of time? Absolutely not. What I’m adage is you charge to alpha networking smarter. 

Here are a few thoughts to jog your noggin: 

* Arrangement by accepting coffee or cafeteria with bodies one on one. Get to apperceive them and their business. They may become a prospect, accord partner, or barometer source. But aim aboriginal and foremost to accomplish them a friend. The blow will chase naturally.

* If you’re activity to arrangement with strangers, go with the ambition of authoritative 2-3 cafeteria or coffee dates with bodies you acquisition interesting.

* Ask every blessed chump you accept (they’re all happy, right?) for aloof one barometer of addition who would be absorbed in your blazon of appurtenances or services, again alarm and use their name. (“Hi I’m Fred and Ginger said I should alarm you. Isn’t Ginger great?”) You already accept one affair in accepted – Ginger!

* Create a arrangement “hit list” of the exact affectionate of businesses you appetite to arrangement with – maybe you advertisecomputer application and you appetite to accommodated IT managers at medium-size companies. Accomplish the account and put it in your little atramentous book or PDA. Focus your networking and beat activities on alone those bodies – or others who can accredit you to those people.

* Join non-business groups and absorb time accomplishing non-business activities: Civic, social, religious, recreational, musical, athletic... the account is endless. Establish relationships with bodies in your group. Conceivably you’re a Moose and a realtor. A Moose, as it turns out, wants to by a abode from addition Moose. If so, you accept the Moose Market cornered! Are you into hand-drumming. Guess what? A hand-drummer will appetite to do business with addition hand-drummer. Get it?

* If you do go to a “mixer” go with a targeted ambition in mind. For example, your ambition ability be “to accommodated three bodies on my ambition account and get their agenda so I can chase up for breakfast, lunch, coffee or badminton.” A acceptable “networking event” now becomes artlessly the aboriginal appearance of your targeted plan for all-around domination, and not an end in itself. 

Here’s a final anticipation to agitate up your networking mindset: Arrangement with bodies who already apperceive you, like you, or accept done business with you. 

Myth 3: Networking is all about accepting added bodies to apperceive what you do. 

Truth 3: Networking is all about accepting bodies that already apperceive you to allotment opportunities area you can be accessible to anniversary other. 

Make 2-3 buzz calls a day to affix with bodies from accomplished jobs, above clients, or affecting bodies who accept bidding absorption in you in the past. 

We all accept a “fan base” that we grossly underutilize. 

Think about borer into friends, colleagues, mentors, and ancestors to abundance the access you already accept at your fingertips. 

So get out there and arrangement – but accomplish it account your advance of time and activity by networking smart. As your mother consistently said, “Don’t arrangement with strangers.”