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Speed Networking Articles
& Resources
Welcome to our articles
centre. Over the coming months we will bring you a wide
array of articles, information and resources about every
aspect of networking.
Our first article is by
our very own Robert Kelly.
The Joy of Nets -
23/10/2006
Robert Kelly -
Director, Original Networks
What is
Networking?
Many people have their own definition of networking. For
some it’s catching up with old contacts and meeting new
ones at business events such as conferences and
exhibitions. For others it’s socialising with colleagues
and clients in bars and restaurants and for the IT
literate it’s a method of joining up computers.
Networking is about bringing things together, most
importantly people, ideas and concepts. Networking can
help open doors that you didn’t know where there,
introducing you not only to people who might be
interested in your ideas but also conversely to things
that could help you achieve your goals.
Networking can take many forms, it can be through
organised events, chance encounters or even through
online groups. Networking can be vital for the self
employed and small businesses, looking not only for new
prospects, but also for the suppliers who can really
understand their needs.
Networking is communication, the sharing of ideas and
goals and finding partners who can help you achieve
those goals.
Why
Network?
Networking isn’t all about selling, but one thing that
all sales people know is the more contacts and prospects
you have the more potential sales you can achieve. The
same in networking, the larger your network of contacts,
the more people you can call on to help you achieve your
goals or the more people they’ll know who they can refer
you onto.
These goals can take many forms, it can be that you’re
looking for more potential clients for you or your
company. You might be looking for someone who’ll provide
the partnership and guidance you need for a new venture
or even perhaps someone who’ll see you as a future
valued employee.
The world of business and employment is in a state of
flux, modern business practices are becoming
increasingly flexible, reliant on more freelance staff
and contractors than ever before. In the future it is
likely that people will becoming increasingly reliant on
their own personal network for opportunities that are
today provided by their employers.
How to
Networking
Before you start networking, it is vital that you
understand what you want to achieve through the
activity. This will determine what sort of networking is
going to be right for you.
It could be that you’re simply looking to increase the
number of contacts that you have. In this case a good
starting point is through an online solution such as
ecademy
or
linkedin. These allow people to search through
profiles prior to finding those that match the areas of
common interest.
These sites can also help you identify people who are
either working in particular industries or for
particular companies, allowing you to approach them in a
non intrusive way.
If you’re looking to achieve particular results, like
getting your name known in a certain field, then you do
have to be more targeted in your approach. Make time to
attend events such as conferences and exhibitions that
are specific to area you’re interested in.
I’d also suggest that attending the social functions at
these events are of more value than the events
themselves. We’ve probably all been on exhibition
stands, or booths at a conference, we know that it
always feels like the majority of visitors that we get
are trying to sell us something, rather being interested
in what we’re trying to do.
Let me also ask you, what is your natural reaction to
being sold to, whether it be at an exhibition, on your
doorstep or even in a clothes store. If you’re like me,
you tend to close off, put up the barriers so that even
if it is a product that you’d be interested in normally,
you’re not listening.
People are suspicious these days, rightly I feel, of the
hard sell. That mental cajoling and arm wrestling that
used to be the backbone of every telesales operation.
People think that if things sound too good to be true
they’re being conned. You can see this with the
difficulty that people have in even trying to give away
free samples, you’d think that these guys were trying to
push anthrax or heroin in a nice easily to administer
droplet form from the pursed lips and shaking heads that
greet their every advance.
At the more relaxed social events, this gives you a
chance to chat in a less intrusive way to the people, to
get to know them and just as importantly for them to get
to know you. I can’t repeat this too strongly, feel free
to communicate, to chat and to let people know what you
do, but don’t oversell.
Firstly you’ll see the person you thought was your new
best friend’s eyes glaze over, the starting of a
mechanical nod, that indicates that they’ve stopped
listening to you and are wondering where that tray of
canapés has gone to. Secondly they’ll try and edge away
with all the subtlety of a big game stampede on the
African savannah. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly,
you’ll have spoilt their evening, and they’ll be
unlikely to call on you should they even be in the
market.
So remember, in such situations, give people an idea of
what you do. Be sure to ask about what they’re involved
with, and see what else you have in common. You might
even find that you enjoy chatting with them, and them
with you.
An original
solution to networking?
There are almost as many ways to network as there are
potential networkers, and in a brief overview such as
this it’s impossible to study them all. Original
networks is dedicated to helping our clients increase
the size of their personal network.
How do we work? Well we’re a bit different and believe
that the best spontaneous happenings need a little bit
of organisation. A running theme from this article has
been that effective networking is effective
communication. At an original networking event we will
organise a series of brief one to one meetings in a
speed networking format and both parties get a set time
to speak, to lay out their market stall so to speak.
For the people that you meet, we want you to think about
not just whether they have something that you’d be
interested in, but if you know someone else to whom this
could be relevant. If everybody does this, just think
about have many people you could up knowing just through
meeting 12 people face to face.
There is of course always a social element, as we know
networking can be thirsty work, but this works to give
added value to an event, not to replace it.
Taking part in an Original event, can be an important
element in your networking program, but please realise
like so many things in life…you get out what you put in.
If you bear that in mind you are already on the road to
networking success. We look forward to seeing you round
the networking table.
©
Copyright 2006 - Robert
Kelly & Original Group
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