“Networking” is the buzzword of business these days and it’s no wonder. Today’s economy has created a legion of people who are launching their own businesses and who are embarking on the dreams they have to build a better mousetrap, solve a problem or bake the absolute best cupcake. Even those who thought they had retired are being headed back into the world of work to fulfill their goals.
Customers and clients are what drive business success, and networking should be your #1 marketing tool because it’s THE most cost-effective! The problem is that most people would rather have a colonoscopy than attend a networking event…so they simply rely on social networking sites.
While Facebook and Linkedin are popular and frequently used networking connections, it’s F2F (Face-to-Face) networking that reaps the most rewards. Why? Because people do business with people they trust, and it’s difficult to develop and demonstrate trust through a series of emails. At some point, you have to have an F2F encounter with a real, live person, and how you handle that interaction could be critical for your success whether it’s to find a supplier, or to make a sale, or to get a referral. Social networks are avenues for people who have information; F2F networking, successfully implemented, yields results. Dr. Albert Mehrabian’s UCLA study reveals that a whopping 70% of the impact of a conversation are nonverbal clues. Smiley faces in your social networking doesn’t quite cut it.
Most networking articles provide lots of reasons why you should be F2F networking and some will even suggest some ways to begin—but precious few tell you how to network. As a result, many of us don’t even try to network because no one teaches us the tools. We make a stab at it, but give up because it doesn’t work and feels unnatural. Those networking events find us with the same group of people, talking about the same things we always talk about – and we wonder if networking is all it’s cracked up to be. And, as the saying goes, “If you keep on doing the same old thing you keep on getting the same old results.”
Networking is a bit like dancing. Watching Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance will make anyone want to race out and sign up for dance lessons. But guess what? The dance instructor will begin with a box step and a count of four. You’re a long way from climbing into a snazzy costume and leaping across the stage. Everything begins with the basic steps and lots of practice for success.
Learning to network effectively has basic steps and benefits from lots of practice, too. It means learning to be prepared when you enter the networking venue and being ready with great questions that reveal helpful information. You’ll need to learn how to introduce yourself so that people will remember your name…otherwise, how will they know how to find you when they run across someone who needs your service or product? Learn to do the networking tango. Get those business cards ready to start making those Contacts Count!
Published: May 7, 2014
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