Networking skills
An interesting article on 'effective networking'. Contrary to some expectations, it suggests that networking is not about searching down relevant and important people, it is about meeting, making friends, and representing your firm.
Something i'm quite good at, and Yonnie is just Excellent at. When I find interesting people, that's easy. When I don't easily 'click', I often lack the energy to keep trying. Yonnie seems to have that extra duracell-bunny approach to being able to doggedly keep up the smile, the enthusiasm, and keeping asking in hope of finding a common interest or topic to talk about.
IT PAYS TO SHOW A LITTLE BIT OF COURTESY
643 words
10 April 2006
Dominion Post
2
English
© 2006 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.
CHRIS is a business-owner friend who recently mentioned he could not believe a quarter of the year's turnover came from someone he had only spent half a day with in a social setting.
Chris listened to the person talk about his life, his family, his dreams and his business. He really enjoyed the conversation, though he did not get much of a chance to talk about himself and was surprised that some months down the track it resulted in several large referrals from the person. It is a superb example of the value of effective networking.
Effective networking relies on one key principle, showing respect for others. At a chamber of commerce meeting, I was seated next to a real estate agent who owned a reasonably well known firm in the region. He appeared to be uninterested in reciprocating any goodwill or conversation. He may not have liked me or he may have been having a bad day. Are these excuses not to display even a basic level of courtesy at a business function? What impression did this give me of his firm? How much business does this agent lose simply by not having the courtesy to engage in conversation?
This was in strong contrast with another agent at the same event, who made an effort to engage in conversation. We have since become friends and catch up with one another on a regular basis. I have no doubt who I will be referring in the future.
In business we are constantly in environments where we have the opportunity to promote our business and services. This is done not by pushing our product or service, but simply by engaging with people and finding out about them and their businesses.
This approach can be beneficial in several ways. It immediately creates a common point of interest for two people who otherwise don't know one another. You will find no matter how mature or large the business is compared with your own, you will be able to share experiences with the owner that you can both relate to.
We find out things from the person that can actually help us in our own business. There may be strategies the owner has applied to their business or solutions they have created that could be equally beneficial for us. If nothing else, it is often enjoyable to hear someone else's story about their business, where it came from and where it is heading.
When we network in this manner, we discover ways where we can assist the person and their business. This may be through suggesting solutions that have worked in our own business or through referring people we know can help. Such referrals and suggestions are gold to any business owner who wants to improve and expand their business. It is incredibly valuable for a business owner to learn from the experience of another business owner, rather than have to "test the water" themselves.
Through this approach you are actively demonstrating respect for the other person and that you care about them and their business. How willing do you think that person will be to engage with you, if you suggest that one of the possible solutions they consider is the service and product you provide? In the case of Chris, the person he met and spoke to and listened to for half a day was willing enough to generate a quarter of Chris's business income for the next 12 months.
*Karl Baker is a business coach and a director of Red Hot Business Coaching and a contributor to the programmes at business development agency The Business Centre. For more information on a wide range of development services for small to medium-sized businesses throughout New Zealand see www.thebizcentre.co.nz
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© 2006 Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC (trading as Factiva). All rights reserved.
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