Networking: It’s Not What You Can Get – Its How You Can Help?
To my
mind networking has always conjured up sleezy car salesmen,
people mindlessly exchanging cards, having to put on ‘the
face’ for your employer, or the other extreme, the old
boys’ club, where outsiders could only wistfully hope
that someday they would be allowed into the inner circle.
Now that I have changed careers from journalism to owning
my own business, I have come to understand it is actually
not so, rather it’s a lot more and when you get to the
very heart of it, it is downright sincere: building relationships.
Of course this to my mind growing up in Birmingham, second
generation British Asian, transported to New York of all places!
Networking, I have to confess has come to my rescue several
times, including when it came not just getting my green card
but how to get it.
That is
when it finally clicked that networking is all about people
skills, building communities, online and offline communities,
forming relationships, that often result in making good friends
along the way, and it all, of course, begins by making an
effort to become a good resource with the person with whom
you are networking.
Bottomline, regardless of gender, geography, ethnicity, people
do business with people whom they know and trust. Yet, with
all the demands on our time made by our professional and personal
lives, not only is it tempting to designate networking a bottom-of-the-list
priority but so easy to ignore. Like personal relationships,
networking takes time, effort and solid commitment.
Expert and author of Million Dollar Networking Andrea Nirenberg
says,
‘Everyday
we should be connecting with people whether by email or
in meeting in person. Most of us overlook professional development
events, meeting people for coffee/tea, all as part of networking
and often view networking events as only where business
cards are exchanged’.
When done
effectively, networking accomplishes several tasks: finding
a job, finding new clients, turning prospects into clients,
professional development, forming strategic alliances, finding
good referral sources for your business, just to list a few.
Typically we all have different circles of networks. Think
three circles: a large one, then another one in it and another
in the middle circle; the outer circles mostly consists of
people we are just getting to know or have just met for the
first time. When we meet these people mostly the discussion
revolves round business or there are synergies between the
two of you.
The inner circle often consists of people you have seen several
times, such as a bar function, or networking group that meets
once a week or month. These people have a clear idea of what
you and your firm does, and frequently refer their friends
and/or colleagues to you for business. These people are great
resources, when you need help outside of your area of expertise.
Your central circle is composed of people who actively help
you, they can be close friends, business acquaintances, clients,
basically anybody you have made an effort to get to know.
How long it takes to build this relationship varies from case
to case. But these folks are your true supporters, they have
established trust and confidence.
To maintain your network you need to keep lines of communications
open with those individuals in the middle and inner circle.
This is where most people drop the ball: they meet, have some
sort of connect and then lack in follow up.
Two immediate strategies to apply immediately are:
- Immediately
after the event, usually the next day, send a handwritten
note or card, reiterating something of interest to both
of you from the conversation and express your interest in
keeping in touch. Include your business card. Handwritten
notes are lot more effective than email thank yous.
- After
a fortnight has passed, contact that person and arrange
to meet for tea or coffee.
Most of
us, no matter how strong or weak, have some networks in place;
we belong to industry groups, associations, chambers of commerce
and peers. What is key is to keep these networks alive by
becoming a valuable resource to them.
There
are several ways to do this:
- Find
something to add value to the relationship quickly, such
as sending them a link to an article.
- Introduce
them to a referral source that may be of value to them.
- Agree
on regular intervals to maintain contact, possibly every
three months.
- Invite
them to a company event, or another networking event.
- Don’t
let your company tickets go to waste. It is a great way
of ‘keeping in touch marketing’.
- Be
honest: discuss how you and your networking partner can
be help each other in further developing your networks.
- Don’t
forget birthday cards, anniversary cards and thank you notes.
People who remember them they go a long way.
- Send
a note congratulating them on a promotion.
All this
involves time, and being consistent in all your efforts. You
want to stay in touch rather than getting in touch with them
when you are desperate. Bottomline, networking does produce
results, the more people know you and your business, and importantly
the more they trust you, they will feel confident in referring
business to you.
Resources
Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship
at a
Time, Keith Ferrazzi
Nonstop Networking: How To Improve Your Life, Luck and Career,
Andrea
Nirenberg
Perfecting Your Pitch, Nancy Michaels This article is reprinted with permission from the October 2007 issue in Women In Law. ©2007 ALM Properties, Inc. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.
About The Author
Paramjit Mahli of Sun Communications Group is a former journalist who has worked with international news organisations including CNN Business News, and now helps small to mid-sized law firms get in front of their target markets effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously. Her job is to let the lawyers do what they do best – practise law – while she takes care of business development.
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinion of ILW.COM.
Copyright © 1999-2007 American Immigration LLC, ILW.COM
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