Your marketing strategy should include marketing yourself — and that means networking. As with all marketing activities, networking is what you make of it. My experience is that most people either fall into the “I’d rather get a root canal” camp or the “I love getting out of the office and meeting new people!” camp. There seems to be very little in between.
The problem is perspective. Networking, at its core, is simply the opportunity to connect with other professionals you enjoy and with whom you could ultimately elevate one another’s businesses. Somewhere along the way, networking got a bad rap and became a practice of quantity over quality. While expanding your circle of influence is fantastic, let’s not forget that when it comes down to it, we really just want to connect with people who we resonate with, who can add value to our businesses and who we can also add value to. Here’s how to make networking enjoyable again.
BE AUTHENTIC
Networking is an opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals and ultimately build a mutually beneficial, enjoyable relationship. The best way to find people you enjoy is to be authentically yourself. There is no reason to create relationships with fellow professionals who you are not a fit with either personality wise or philosophically. Ideally, you will be spending time with these people, learning about their businesses, educating them on your business and collaborating. By being authentic, you will naturally attract individuals who you enjoy and who you will have the most successful collaborative relationship with.
HAVE A GOAL
Before you join any group or attend any event, set your intention. Most networking events can be overwhelming with a large number of people attending and a packed itinerary. My advice would be to set an attainable and enjoyable goal. For me, that means I have a goal to connect with one new person at any event I attend. My best results always happen when I focus on quality over quantity. If you have a specific person you would like to meet, that is even better — think about who you know who can make an introduction and reach out ahead of time to ask them to make the connection.
It is also important to take time to touch base with people you already know, catch up, connect others and find out how you can help them with what they are working on.
BE A GIVER
Anyone can ask for a favor, but what can you do to help others build their businesses? Be known as a giver. Figure out what other people are trying to do, and find out how you can help. Can you make an introduction? Can you weigh in with your expertise? Help other people reach their goals. Always be curious about what others are doing and how you can help. You will likely be one of the few asking how you can add value to someone else.
As a bonus, be sure to follow up promptly after an event with any promised connections or information. Being timely and following through with your word is one of the easiest ways to build good will with new or existing contacts.
TAKE ACTION
Before your next networking event, set a specific goal for exactly what you would like to accomplish while you are there. Also, think about who you know who would benefit from being connected and make an introduction.