Networking

Who Is Maintaining Your Network?

A business is only as good as the people it employs...we've all heard it and most liekly experienced situations that support the statement.

I'm going to change the statement slightly and say, 'A business is only as good as the network that its employees can maintain.'

My reasoning is fairly transparent.  If a business spends the majority of its monetary resources on creating an image that portrays today's 'buzz words' but doesn't support those words within its people... why spend the money?

In today's marketplace, business is done through relationships and relationship building. 

Some of these relationships are 'time-tested', some continue to evolve, some are still in the discovery stage.  My point is... If you or your employees cannot maintain a network with those around you, then it may be wise to re-look at the focus of the image you are trying to portray.

The Personality of Networking - Part 2 of 2

How do you stay motivated? I’ve been asked this question for several years… Even before I decided to join the working world. It’s a tough question, but I’ve been able to answer it every time I hear it. My response typically revolves around passion and sacrifice, but in Part 2 of 'The Personality of Networking', I’ll dig a bit deeper.

Motivation:
I broadly define motivation in this case as, 'the drive and desire of an individual.' This can be for monetary reward, personal satisfaction or both. This is essentially what makes a person get out of bed everyday. Being able to define why you do what you do will make it easy to decide who you are. The following are traits often demonstrated by an effective networker:

• Implementation - Setting specific networking goals and achieving them. The goals a networker sets should not revolve around seeing how many sales they can make, but rather simple goals like handing out two business cards per day. In this case, you should set achievable goals and follow through. If you find that at the end of the day you haven't handed out two cards... then get your butt to the grocery store and hand ‘em out!

• Determination – The belief that you will create success. Far too often, I see individuals give up when they don't see success being created from the networking they have done. Reality is that some of the time, nothing will happen. On the other hand, many times things are being created from your efforts that you'll never even realize. You must be able to trust in yourself and your judgments that you've surrounded yourself with the right people. Good things will happen.

• Sacrifice - Successful networking requires long hours. The excuse, "there are no networking events available" doesn't apply. If you can't find a networking event; you aren't looking hard enough. Check into your local associations and visit their events. Events are held at all hours during the day/night and it's up to you to make the time commitment to attend. This often leads to becoming a networking nerd; which is okay if you remain light-hearted and don't take things too seriously.

In my opinion, attitude & motivation can be learned/trained or born within. It’s imperative to recognize which characteristics you lack and strive to fill the gaps. In an ever changing and competitive market place; a business can thrive through the networks we build.

The Personality of Networking - Part 1 of 2

It's been my experience as a networker/connector that there are several pieces to the overall puzzle often referred to as connectivity.  One piece of this puzzle revolves around the personality traits of a successful networker.

Two basic characteristics within a personality that make for an effective networker are Attitude & Motivation.  First, we'll focus on a networking attitude.

Attitude:
I broadly define attitude in this case as, 'any person that recognizes their strengths and weaknesses and utilizes them to achieve success in their personal practice.' In my opinion, it is important to recognize early-on what you don't know and surround yourself with the expertise you need to grow. 

Over the past three years, I have seen the following attitudes in effective networkers:

• Fearless - It takes courage to walk into a group of people and introduce yourself to others.  In many cases, someone that is unwilling or unable to approach a group may miss an opportunity for collaboration.  Sometimes a group may seem unapproachable, but in reality the group is in a comfort zone that will make them MORE approachable.  In order to find this out, you have to step outside of your personal comfort zone and make that determination.

• Light Heart - Life can and will throw you curve-balls.  Think back to a time you've met with someone and instantly knew they were having a bad day and couldn't care about anything you had to say.  Did you want to force a conversation that you knew they didn't want to have?  An effective networker is often able to hide their negative emotions (if only for an hour) in order to produce results from a conversation.  An effective networker can also utilize their positive attitude to brighten the other's day.

• Opportunist - It is of high importance to see opportunity when it is not readily apparent.  In a situation that has signs of little promise, an effective networker should be armed with open-ended questions that can lead to a potential opportunity (if not for them, then for someone else).  These questions can be as simple as: “Where are you from?”, “What is your passion?”, or “Does your neighbor have rabbits?”  Some of the best meetings come from those that show no signs of opportunity.  Many times questions can disarm a tense conversation and produce great results.

By recognizing different characteristics of your attitude, your odds for success will be increased as you move into the networking process.