My ONE Secret for Successful Networking

The following article was written by networking expert Liz Lynch of Center of Networking Excellence.

My ONE Secret for Successful Networking

People always want to know about my one technique for networking successfully. Is it joining an online community? Writing a blog? Going to bigger events?

The answer is, none of the above. More important than any one technique is having the right APPROACH to building relationships. I can teach you how to get started on Facebook, but if you go in with all guns blazing and a "me first" mindset, you're not going to do very well. On the other hand, the right approach can guide you through any networking situation you come across. Even if you don't know exactly what to do, you'll have an intuition about how to handle yourself.

I've noticed three approaches that people take with networking. Each ties into a different objective which in turn influences how they interact with others.

1) The Sales Approach

Objective: Finding a buyer
    The way many people think about networking traditionally is with a sales mentality. That's why they don't do it until they need something. They sit studiously in their offices, day in and day out, doing their jobs but not going beyond that to expand their network with new contacts or strengthen ties with current ones.

    Then when the day comes that they need help because they've lost their job or the market has dried up for their product, they show up at events with an air of desperation because they need a buyer, fast! "Will you hire me?" "Will you buy from me?"

    Those who approach networking with a sales mentality have unrealistically high expectations. Again, perhaps that's why they wait so long. They think every encounter should turn instantly into a job lead or warm prospect. But then who's really at these events looking for people to hire or products to buy? No one, or at the very least, a very, very small minority. That's why this approach is the least effective. Your objectives aren't lining up with anyone else's.

    If your objective is to get someone to buy something from you, then what you're doing is "selling." Don't confuse everybody (or yourself) by calling it "networking."

2) The Business Development Approach

Objective: Creating something new
    In my first job in business development nearly 10 years ago, I was charged with finding partners for a new service my employer was creating, and had to look for companies willing to participate under a very specific set of parameters. If the company had another idea for working with us that would better serve their goals, that was beyond the scope of my job to address, and I had to move on, rather than see if something bigger and better could develop. I look back on this now as more of a sales role.

    In contrast, my last job in business development was more about partnerships. We had a goal of increasing revenues and were open to talking to anyone about creating new products and services that would help us do that. The process typically started with both parties learning about each other's goals and strengths, and then brainstorming a range of possibilities for working together.

    This latter approach is the one I take in building relationships today. I may not know exactly how we can help each other, but rather than viewing them through a filter of what I want to do, I really want to get to know them individually and what they're looking to accomplish. Hopefully there is an intersection with my goals and we can create something together. But if there isn't, maybe they're a fit for someone I know, or perhaps they'll be a fit in the future.

    Either way, the reward for me is in the journey of getting to know someone and being exposed to new ideas. A business development approach takes into account both parties' needs and tries to come up with a solution that addresses both. It's more fun because it requires creativity and vision on both sides.

3) The Marketing Approach

Objective: Getting noticed
    A third approach to networking is more marketing oriented. In this case, it's about generating awareness of what you do and giving people a sense of who you are so they can decide whether to network with you.

    I've always found that networking is easier when people approach you, and social networking sites are great for accomplishing this. They give you the ability to share your expertise, and make it easy for interested parties to interact with you.

    But often when I talk about Facebook as a networking tool, people will ask me what business I've gotten from being a member there. That's the sales mentality talking. I'm not selling anything on Facebook. I'm trying to build a network of savvy social media folks who I can learn from (and wow, there are lots of them!), but who also get to know me and my work over time.

    Facebook lets me have a consistent but unobtrusive presence in other people's lives. I'm regularly adding new content, mainly videos and blog posts, to share what I know and stimulate conversation. When my friends are logged onto the site, they can see what I'm doing and interact with me, but they can also lurk in the background. It's completely their choice.

    For those who like my stuff, I have no doubt that when my book comes out in November, they'll help spread the word. But the important thing is not to show up the day before trying to build support from scratch. You'll get noticed, but not in a good way.

Best Two Out of Three?
To sum it all up, it's important to understand the sales approach to networking so you can stay away from it and adopt a more business development approach of collaboration instead. Then turbo charge your efforts by incorporating social media tools to help market yourself in a low-key way, and generate interest from potential networking partners. In a sense, you're saying, "Here are the cool things I'm doing. Anyone interested, come and play." Most important to remember is that the right approach to networking is platform agnostic. It should work equally well whether you're in person or online.

Liz Lynch is a business networking expert whose products, programs and seminars help entrepreneurs and professionals get clients, build their businesses, and reach their goals through networking.   If you're ready to start networking smarter, get your F R.E*E business networking tips now at www.NetworkingExcellence.com.

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Comments

[Robert A. Henru]

Liz, thanks for sharing the top secret. I found it very inspirational, both the second and the third are what I find very important and we need to balance.
Second one is to turn the spotlight to the other people, listen to them, and see how we can meet their need.
Third is to turn the spotlight on us, sharing what we do and good at, without sounds like boasting. Mmm, I may need a feedback how to do it from you.

Jason, thanks for having the article here!

Robert

[Bob Brill]

Hi Jason,

Taking another of your splendid suggestions, I have begun using Google’s free RSS reader, which I also recommend -- http://www.google.com/reader/. Something I need to fix for my next post is listing a personalized author account to identify me, rather than the generic admin. Now my point: Looking at this post on RSS shows: “My ONE Secret for Successful Networking by Jason Jacobsohn.” My suggestion: when you have guest bloggers, perhaps you may want to use another author account such as “guest.” Just a thought. Hope all is well with the family.

Best,
Bob

[Tim Courtney]

I'd like to add that approaches #2 and to an extent #3 are a lot more fun than viewing the other person as a 'piece of meat' and moving on to the next person when they aren't qualified. The Biz Dev approach allows for long-term relationships that can mature over time before business is done. And the trust that builds during that period allows for much bigger things to happen because of the relationship in the long run.

[Jason]

Robert, glad that you liked the article. Liz provides great advice.

[Jason]

Bob, glad my suggestion was helpful. Thanks for the suggestion of "guest" blogger. I briefly looked into this and am not if this can be done very easily with the platform that I am using. I will look into it again.

[Jason]

Tim, thanks for sharing your perspective.

[Lisa Katz]

Here's my one secret,

Start building a business relationship with people you actually know. I don’t get very many leads from strangers. I have a group of associates I know and trust and invite them to exchange referrals on a service such as http://www.referralkey.com/ and I can then track and create new business relationships. It sounds like you and your readers could benefit from a tool that will allow you to turn those 3 or for connections into a rewarding referral network.

[Jason]

Thanks Lisa for sharing your thoughts. I agree that you need to start with people who you know. Also, I will check out Referral Key.

[Alicia Young]

I have actually read about a great referral marketing, https://www.referralkey.com/, and I really think you'll be interested with this as well...

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