Why network?
Why do you network?
As we begin a new year, it seems appropriate to pause and evaluate why we network, and what we want and expect to get out of it.
Most people think of business networking as the reciprocal process of exchanging leads, referrals and recommendations, with other people to make the business process easier and more profitable.
However, as I mentioned before, networking is a means to an end.
It is the process of connecting with other people for help or information. It is a natural part of life, and you probably
network everyday in your personal life.
This means that you can use networking to achieve any goal you have. You don’t have to limit yourself to exchanging leads and referrals. You can use it to get information, do market research, get expert advice, recruit a “Board of Directors” for yourself so you can turn to them for professional advice or guidance when you need it, and so on.
For instance, a few months ago, I was very excited about a particular project but I wasn’t sure how best to fund it. I had no idea who the “best” person might be to ask for advice on this.
So at the next event I attended, I decided to ask the people sitting around to me for their personal opinion about this project and ideas on how I might proceed. This event was a dinner following a conference and I didn’t know any of the people at my table. But they were happy to engage in the conversation, and help out if they could.
Well, it turned out be a wonderful brainstorming conversation! I left with all kinds of information and new ideas. Not only that, two of the people at the table gave me their business cards and offered to personally help out later — with additional advice, introductions to key people, and so on — as I developed this project further.
This is true networking, is it not?
So in the business context, what is your end goal? Why do you network right now? And what are some other things you want and need to succeed professionally, that networking can help you get?
My point is this: if you’re clear about what you want and need, you can use networking as a means to get it.
So if you have been wondering about the whole point of networking (i.e. “why bother?”) or wondering about how best to get started, start here.
Start by clarifying for yourself what you want and need. Then find people who can help you get these things (and this, of course, is networking!).
By the way, this is an excerpt from the Effortless Networking book. To read the rest of the book, click here.
Also, more on the topic of clarifying your networking goals to get better results is covered in module 1 of the Effortless Networking home-study program.
Till next week,
– Sri
