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Become a highly effective networker
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][dt_gap height=”10″][vc_column_text]Become a highly effective networker
Networking is not just about attending cocktail parties and trying to collect as many business cards as you can. In fact, that’s not networking; it’s called missing the point.
Networking is a brilliant way to start and build business relationships, but many people don’t do a very good job of it. They mistakenly think that networking is about making a sales pitch to as many people as possible, and collecting a stash of other people’s contact details. Rather than setting out to try to dish out and collect as many business cards as I can, I like to think about networking as using every available opportunity to focus on making the best impression possible and being remembered by a few people who matter.
Here are three key strategies to become a highly effective networker:
- Put giving before receiving. Effective networkers try to understand people’s “pain points” – the core issues bothering them – and look for ways to help solve their problems and add value. To be an effective networker, your focus should not be on scoring business cards or making a sales pitch, but on how you can add value to others’ lives. You need to genuinely believe that “what goes around comes around”.
- Focus on quality, not quantity. Great networkers understand that the most effective networking is not about the quantity of contacts you make, but about the quality of those contacts. In fact, the worst thing you can do at a networking function is to be talking to someone and looking over their shoulder the entire time, trying to see if someone better is coming along. Five minutes of your undivided attention is far more effective in creating a connection than 25 minutes if you’re distracted and not listening properly.
- Follow up. The best networkers always follow up, and they do this consistently. It doesn’t help you to create a great impression at a breakfast event and then never speak to the person again. In fact, it does the opposite. By following up with connections, you build relationship and deepen your network. And the deep relationships are the ones you will treasure.
What is your approach to networking? Share them with us in the comments below[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Become a highly effective networker
Networking is not just about attending cocktail parties and trying to collect as many business cards as you can. In fact, that’s not networking; it’s called missing the point.
Networking is a brilliant way to start and build business relationships, but many people don’t do a very good job of it. They mistakenly think that networking is about making a sales pitch to as many people as possible, and collecting a stash of other people’s contact details. Rather than setting out to try to dish out and collect as many business cards as I can, I like to think about networking as using every available opportunity to focus on making the best impression possible and being remembered by a few people who matter.
Here are three key strategies to become a highly effective networker:
- Put giving before receiving. Effective networkers try to understand people’s “pain points” – the core issues bothering them – and look for ways to help solve their problems and add value. To be an effective networker, your focus should not be on scoring business cards or making a sales pitch, but on how you can add value to others’ lives. You need to genuinely believe that “what goes around comes around”.
- Focus on quality, not quantity. Great networkers understand that the most effective networking is not about the quantity of contacts you make, but about the quality of those contacts. In fact, the worst thing you can do at a networking function is to be talking to someone and looking over their shoulder the entire time, trying to see if someone better is coming along. Five minutes of your undivided attention is far more effective in creating a connection than 25 minutes if you’re distracted and not listening properly.
- Follow up. The best networkers always follow up, and they do this consistently. It doesn’t help you to create a great impression at a breakfast event and then never speak to the person again. In fact, it does the opposite. By following up with connections, you build relationship and deepen your network. And the deep relationships are the ones you will treasure.
What is your approach to networking? Share them with us in the comments below[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]