The Power of Networking

‘The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.’

 Keith Ferrazzi

As most of you will know, here at The Training Fox we believe that networking is an important aspect of what we do, and earlier this year we had the pleasure of launching our own event – Business Buzz Cheltenham.

But why do we believe in networking?

Networking has many advantages and benefits to any business – however these can only be brought to fruition if it is done well and with the right mindset.

The advantages of networking include:

Brand Awareness

This is probably the most obvious of all advantages within the network sphere, it allows you to get into rooms, ad meeting s with people that you may have never met before and tell them about you and your brand, as well as what it is that you offer. Some would say the more networking that you do, the more visible you become to others.

Developing Relationships

Running a business can be hard, especially if you are running it on your own. Networking can be a source of support, as well as providing you with a sounding block for new ideas that you have. Of course, with those developing relationships you can also develop a referral sphere once people get to know and trust you. It is important to remember that ‘people buy from people.’

Building Confidence

By being in a room with other likeminded businesses and businesspeople, from the conversations that you have you will see that they face exactly the same challenges as you do, even though you feel like you are the one going through it. You will get the opportunity to practice communication styles and skills that will help to further your career.

Advancing Your Career

While networking, you might meet someone who is in the same field as you, together you can learn from each other and advance your own and their career through conversations and potential collaborations you develop.

Establishing References

A little known benefit of networking is the ability to build a bank of references in your professional network who can attest o your skills, character and experience when they are out with their network as well as when you are applying for work, these character references can aid you when seeking big contracts.

There is of course one big draw back to networking, and that is having the wrong mindset when actually in the room, or more accurately when you leave the room. There is a mindset that says – well I did not walk out of that with any new leads, networking does not work! – The important rule of networking, is you get out what you put in.

Hopefully, we have now explored why networking is important, the next thing for us to consider is how to network.

‘Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.’

Brene Brown

Firstly, the most important think about networking is actually getting up and doing it. Let’s set the scene, it is a cold dark December morning, you are at your computer in the warm office, when you get a reminder that you have a network event in your diary. What do you do? The best answer here is muster up the energy and the motivation to go to the event, secure in the knowledge that you can build authentic and long-lasting connections. What is the alternative? FOMO, and the what ifs. What if in that room you decided not to go to had the 1 golden nugget that you needed to take your business forward, or the person you needed to see was there, but you were not.

Remember: You get out of networking, what you put in.

It is important when networking that you are prepared, and that you know what it is that you do inside out, so that you can share this information with others. Remember that a first impression counts, make it count. Think about what you wear – if you would usually wear a uniform wear that! Wear a smile and remember to use eye contact. A small gesture can go a long way.

Most networks give you time to not only talk with other people in the room, this is the bit that a lot of people get nervous about, but also some time to talk about what you do, and what you are looking for to the whole group, some groups  are strict on time others judge it by the number of people in the room. So, lets explore these 2 phenomenon’s.

Open Networking time

This is the time that you get to move freely around the room to talk to the varied and different people in the room, some you will know and others you will not. It is important that you try to mix this up so that you talk to new people as well as continuing to develop those relationships with people you already know. A good rule of thumb would be in a 2-hour open network try to speak to 3 new people.

Of course, this is where people get nervous and anxious. Rather than asking predictable questions, you could always try some other questions, which gets a more rounded conversation going. For example:

• What do you think is the most valuable part of your work — to yourself and others?
• What problems do you want to help others solve?
• What aspects of your work do you enjoy most and why?
• What do you enjoy least and why?

These questions above replace the usual What do you do? The importance now is to ensure that you listen to the reply that you are given by the person in the group. If you are in a mini group within the wider group, you will probably get several answers to these, and always be prepared to ask for more information, as well as to answer the question yourself.

There are so many ways that a conversation in a network room can go, if you are nervous, there is bound to be someone in the room who can introduce you into the conversation, and more importantly everyone in the room is there for the same reason, embrace it and never forget to just say hi!

Introduction to the Room

This is your chance now to tell the people in the room all about yourself, yourself to make yourself memorable when those people are out meeting their networks. It is important to remember that you are not selling necessarily to the people in the room, but to those who thy know outside of the room. Depending on the group, it will depend on the time you have to do this. In every situation there is basic information that is required:

Introduce yourself – Who are you, and what is your business name?
Your region and title – Where are you based and what is the job title you hold?
What do you do – what does your business do?
What are you looking for – are you looking for introductions to anyone in particular? How can the group help you?
How do you solve a problem – How does your business meet the need of the person you asked for an introduction to?
If time tell an anecdote – Tell a story how you helped a customer meet their need.
Repeat who/where you are – re-state your name and business.

This snapshot of time will enable people to remember you, and then potentially refer to you in the future as they know now what you do. You might even find that people approach you afterwards to discuss your introduction, and say they have a contact for you.

‘Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity and time’.

Alan Collins

So, you went to a networking event, drank some coffee, maybe a pastry or 2, and now your back at your office, what next?

The key to building long lasting meaningful relationships is time. How you know go about keeping your network organised is up to you, you might have a box where you put all the business cards you picked up, a database you input details into, or use a Social Media platform like LinkedIN to stay in touch with your new connections. But this is not the end. Now, it is time to have some 1-2-1’s with your network, a chance to delve deeper into what they do and how you can both help each other. You can choose where this takes place. But do remember this is an opportunity for a 2-way conversation, not a selling to a client conversation.

Referrals and the other associated benefits of network will come eventually, the time, effort, and energy that you make today will pay off in the days, months, and years ahead. Stay in the network and believe in the power of others around you,

The other thing that we need to consider is that there are a lot of networking groups out there, it is important to find the ones that work for you, your budget, your time, and your overarching goals. We would recommend trying as many as you can and find the ones that fit for you. Not all networking groups will work for you, and that is ok.

We would say that the most important thing about networking is that you enjoy it and make it a part of your job. Once you see it as an active part of your routine and business, you will put time and effort into it to make it the best it can be.

#LetsGoNetworkingYeah