I have only worked on Lesson #1 and it already hit the nail on the head for me.

I didn’t realize how vague I was being in my networking attempts until now and I have worked out a different focus. I now know that what I was doing was only half of the task. I’m a network marketer and I was giving out catalogs and making a personal connection with people and have made it very easy for people to contact me but I wasn’t getting their contact information so I have not been able to follow up my efforts.

That will all change now, thanks to you. I am looking forward to working on lesson 2.

Kenneth

Please give us more of these real life practical examples, it makes your ideas and concepts come alive. Writing instructors keep drumming into heads “Show, don’t tell”.

Lee Kaplanian

I use this analogy when I train.

“I’m going to describe a business activity. Tell me what you are doing when you do what I describe.

“There is a new building you have never canvased before. You get out of your car armed with brochures and business cards. You go from office to office finding out if anyone needs the product or service you offer. What do you call that?”

Someone always says “Making cold calls.”

Then I continue:

“O.K., how is it any different when you go to business after hours or other event, arm yourself with business cards and brochures, and then begin to talk to people to find out whether or not they have any need for your product or service?”

Cold calling is a prospecting tool, and when we go to a networking event and make cold calls, we might in fact occasionally find a prospect. However, when we do that we pretty much lose any chance we have of actually NETWORKING. Networking starts with building relationships, and most people would not put cold calling high on their list of relationship building activities.

Don’t go to a networking event and make cold calls.

Joe McBride

To me networking is going to events and connecting with people, finding out their interest and introducing your profession or business. They may not need your service but knows someone who may need your service. Prospecting is getting a list of numbers as in real estate and contacting homeowners to find out if they are interested in selling their homes.

To go to a networking event in SEARCH of prospects, however, seems to entirely miss the point. Like I’ve heard said before, you wouldn’t agree to marry someone after the first date, would you? Neither does it make sense to view a networking meeting - the chance to make INITIAL connections - a fertile ground for prospecting.

If you need a big motivator to feel successful about your networking, I would say a better one is to attend networking events in search of JV partners…people with whom you can form alliances, create projects, and achieve goals you could not accomplish on your own. But even these can happen only after you stop, take a deep breath, introduce yourself, ask questions about the other(s) that go deeper than “What do you do?” and start creating new relationships.

Even when I had a job, I did informal networking with people in my company and companies I serviced. That’s how I got by with late invoices or getting moved to the front of the line on an IT project.

You can never know enough people. Who knows you may need a good plumber one day.

Sri….Thank you for your input and caring about the people you help even… when we have never met you in person or even really worked with you…you give just by sending us some light in your emails and food for thought! Be Well and kiss that beautiful little girl!

Caite

It seems highly likely to me that the person who thinks there is a point in the future where they might not need to network is someone who thinks networking is a part of selling. Truth is, for many true networkers sales are a minor side benefit.

I met my wife while volunteering on a campaign team at a convention. I met my best friend at a club meeting. My favorite restaurant was recommended by a friend at church. My doctor was recommended by a neighbor. Yes, I’ve closed some nice sales from networked referrals. But the true benefits of networking are such that I would network if I never needed to make another sale in my life.

When you take a new position that is one of the most important times to network - network within the new company - learn the clients, the company culture, etc. Networking occurs when you least think about it, but most people do not realize that networking happens every day of your life.

Recognize it and use it - to help others as well as yourself. I would love to read others posts and comments on what they believe networking actually is and what are they actually doing when they are consciously networking!

Yours in networking,
Carol Deckert, Networking Coach
Referrals Unlimited Network
http://www.runlancaster.com