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9 tips to enhance your networking skills

I was going give this article the title of Networking without getting fired. This is because networking is often viewed negatively or as a waste of time. But actually it is the exact opposite. It is positive and can grow your business far beyond your expectations. And if you neglect this tool in your toolbox, you will not develop yourself and your business  in all that you potential can. So here are some nine tips to help you network.

1.    It's a two-way street

Networking should aid and equip you AND your organization. If it is all one-sided, then you're doing it wrong. If all the benefits are only for the organization, then you as an individual will never grow and develop and neither will your business. And if all the benefits are just for you personally, then your organization might start to feel a little jaded. There is a natural overlap here so your networking should build your personal and organizational platforms.

2.    One or two steps up the ladder

When I first started networking, I did it all wrong. I reached out to people in organizations that were ten times as big as mine. I experience one of two problems by trying to reach the top of the ladder. Either I couldn't reach it because no one got back to me, or I did reach the top of the ladder and connected with someone; but their needs and approach were well beyond my experience and possibilities that I couldn't put them into practice. This is why you need to reach out to people and businesses which are at the same level or not more than one or two steps up the ladder from where you are.

3.    Make it convenient

When you ask to speak with someone, suggest that  they would pick a convenient day and time. The suggestion lets them know that you want to honour their time. Always ask what times work for them instead of offering what works for you. If you make it convenient you increase the success rate.

4.    Make it quick 

When you ask to speak with someone, only ask for ten minutes. Most people can spare ten minutes to talk. But here's the secret. If you come into the conversation with thoughtful questions, and do a half decent job at listening, the conversation will go longer than ten minutes without the other person realising it. I've done this hundreds of times and the same scenario plays itself out. Towards the end of the ten minutes, I explain I've got more questions but will wrap things up to respect their time. The person then counters by offering me more time.

5.    Listen more than talk

One thing I have learnt early on is that we all like to talk, we all like to tell what we can do for them. But often times people are not interested because you have no idea of what they are going through, what their challenges are. What people are interested in is that you understand them more than you sell at them. So use most the time to find out how their business is doing, what challenges they are going through, what is not going according to plan. Then you will be able to provide the answers they really want to hear.

6.    You have a lot to offer

You may be hesitant to network because you may falsely believe you have nothing to offer the other person. But you do have something to offer. You can offer gratitude by saying, "I would really appreciate ten minutes of your time." You can offer recognition: "You are a thought leader and I would love to learn from you." Whatever your business you carry something that no one else has; that is YOUR knowledge, YOUR experience, YOUR story. Never forget that!

7.    Appeal to their vanity 

Everyone is vain, the majority of us do have issues about being recognized and appreciated. Most of us think we are pretty awesome. And we should because we actually are. So use this to your advantage when networking by appealing to people's vanity. When you reach out to someone for help, it's because you think they are helpful. Make sure to communicate that. Tell them how awesome they are and how much you can't wait to learn from them. Sing their praises and they will share their best practices. Talk them up and they will talk to you. Give them hype and they will give you help.

8.    Say thanks to new relationships

Thanking those you network with goes a long way to fostering your best relationship. A great way to say thanks is an email or a thank you card or even a small gift. Someone did this for me once, and it immediately doubled the amount of time and effort I was willing to pour into them. This is one of the cheapest and most impactful ways to professionally invest in yourself. Do not let the power of saying thanks pass you by. Buy a thank you card today and send it to a recently developed network relationship.

9.    Say thanks to old relationships 

One of my professional yearly traditions is sending thank you notes to relationships I've gained through networking over the years. Those people appreciate receiving these notes and I get a kick out of writing them. Saying thanks to old relationships does two powerful things for you. One, it keeps you humble because you're reminded of how you started. And two, it helps you chart your progress by seeing how far you've come. So say thanks to new and old relationships birthed out of networking.

 

Articles

What is business networking anyhow?
http://www.alextana.com/article.php?article_id=14

Links

Isle of Wight Chamber of commerce
https://www.iwchamber.co.uk

Isle of Wight council
https://www.iwight.com