Relationships take time and just like in
our personal relationships, we very seldom fall in love
at first sight. It takes time to nurture and build trust
until you eventually decide you like that person. The
same principles apply in networking.
Overcoming Networking Roadblocks
When people hear the word "Networking" they immediately
think of dull boring cocktail parties with a room full
of stilted conversations with self absorbed people Nothing
could be further from the truth.
Good networking is all about building and maintaining
mutually beneficial relationships. Cocktail parties
may be the first point of contact but only represent
the tip of the iceberg when it comes to true relationship
and network building.
The biggest roadblocks that come up in my training
and consulting work are:
1. Not enough time to network
Firstly I believe that when people make the Mindshift
away from “Its what you know” to the importance
of “Its who you know” in the business environment
today, radical career change occurs.
When business people awaken to the true impact networking
can have on their career they begin to see it’s
strategic value. The realization then occurs that the
time spent networking actually represents a very valuable
investment in their careers. These same business people
also see their colleagues or competitors, who have spent
time and effort branding themselves and cultivating
networks get ahead of them in their careers. This provides
further impetus to the realization that they are becoming
a “no-name” brand.
When you see the value of networking, you will make
time to attend functions that you normally don’t
attend.
2. Networking is only for sales people- I see
it as schmoozing and being inauthentic to who you really
are.
Now more than ever business people need to have a well
developed business network.. Networks deliver private
information,power and influence- all of which are vital
skills that will give leaders the edge in the increasingly
competitive business environment. This applies across
the board from actuaries to personal assistants, from
the entrepreneurial world to the corporate world. There
are no exceptions!
Find a networking style that works for you, where you
are being true to who you are but stretching yourself
out of your comfort zone at the same time. You don’t
have to be the life and soul of the cocktail party.
For some, that’s going to events; for others,
it’s one-on-one conversations.
3. I’m an introvert and only extroverts
are good networkers
This is fundamentally not true- in fact some of the
best networkers I know are shy and introverted. This
is because shy people have the ability to listen attentively
to the person talking and listen out for where the business
connection may be. Extroverts are too busy focusing
on their favourite subject “Me, Me, Me, Me”
and this does not facilitate good networking. If you’re
doing all the talking you’re not doing good networking.
4. Not making the most of existing contacts-
having no follow up system to manage the network.
On average people know approximately 250 people. For
the benefits of this discussion, the definition of people
you know is people that would recognise, greet you and
know your name. Where this system becomes very powerful
is who those 250 people know. On average those people
know 250 people- which means that all of us are in indirect
contact with a network of 62 500 (250 x 250) people.
If you divided your network into sections and kept
in touch regularly and systematically, your 250 contacts
will start introducing you to their network. But as
in life there is no such thing as a free lunch, just
as in networking you can’t net--sit or net-drink,
you have to get up and net-work.
Get a rolodex or a business card scanner and start
making your network work!.
Helen Nicholson & Grant Driver will be facilitating
a ½ day workshop on “Master the art of
Personal Branding & Networking” on the 18th
Oct at the Rosebank Hotel. If you are interested in
attending, please contact Chantel@captivate.co.za
or call 082-9243596.
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