Instead, Allen suggests picking yourvenues and activities more strategically.“Different types of activities support differ-ent aspects of relationship-building. Youhave to align those activities with yourstrategic objectives in order to achieve thebest results.” A series of questions can helpyou refine your networking objectives:
•
What are you trying to accomplishright now?
•
What kind of people do you mostneed to meet to help you with that?
•
Do you need to meet a lot of new people — strangers — or do you needto build stronger relationships withthe people you know to help drivemore referrals?
•
Do you need to focus more on build-ing trust and knowledge of your char-acter or your professional reputation asan expert in your field?Gilford clarifies his objectives beforemaking contact. “Am I just touchingbase; do I need something; do I want toget additional, new contact names? Thishelps me keep my message clear and tothe point.” And in the true spirit of net- working, Gilford says that he always asks what he can do to for the other person,and that he is intent on building a recip-rocal relationship.
My current network meetsmy needs:
Never . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.8%Rarely. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.9%Sometimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57.8%Often . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.6% All the time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0%
Source:
ExecuNet, 2008
Gilford takes a unique approachby doing research to learn about his net- working contacts, enabling a more per-sonal route when reaching out. “I like toknow recent achievements, milestonesand activities in which they have beeninvolved. It is always great to start with‘Congratulations on...’ instead of ‘Whathave you been up to lately?’“
Where
Whereas Allen approaches networkingas a strategic and deliberate activity, valuecan also be derived from random, sponta-neous interactions with others. “Takeadvantage of life’s interruptions such astaking the car to the mechanic, going tothe dentist, or spending an afternoonat the DMV,” says Keith Ferrazzi, authorof the best-selling book,
Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time.
Designated one of the most“connected” individuals by both
Forbes
and
Inc.
magazines, Ferrazzi says, “Nomatter how miserable those experienceshave been for you in the past, they canbe great places to make new connec-tions. In the waiting rooms, people aresitting right next to you! You have abuilt-in conversation-starter because youhave something obvious in common with everyone there.”Even if the people you meet don’t wind up on your contact list, there’s abenefit to just being friendly. “They might know people who are on yourlist,” Ferrazzi points out. “Worst case,you struck up a nice conversation thatmade sitting there a bit less painful, andyou practiced your all-important audacity skills that you can use next time at abusiness conference.”“The greatest thing about this littlenetworking plan is that it requires no(extra) time at all,” Ferrazzi notes. “Itdoes, however, require a little bit of guts. And the more guts you have, the moreyou’ll meet success. Try it, it will pay off!”
When
Executives often complain that they don’thave the time to network, but the masternetworkers agree that is a poor excuse.“People who say they don’t have time toinvest in networking are living in a reality that is 10 to 20 years out of date. It’s likesaying you don’t have time to do your job,” says Bates.“You can’t think of it as ‘Networkingis taking time away from sales, marketing,professional development, research, etc.,’”says Allen. “Networking, done right,
is
sales, marketing, professional develop-ment, research, etc.”Ferrazzi suggests taking the pressure off by not forcing networking into a schedule.“If you’re stressed-out because you can’t fitin any time for ‘networking,’ my advice toyou is the following: Don’t.That’s right.Don’t even try to squeeze in extra time.Instead, focus on meeting people moreoften during the things you already have todo.This way, you can relax and let that‘networking time’ come to you.”“Before each of your daily activities, just ask yourself, ‘Could this be anopportunity to meet someone new?’”Ferrazzi adds.Consistent with his recommendationto adopt a networking mindset, Allen saysthat the “most important ‘networking’you can do is everything you can tomaintain excellent relationships with yourexisting customers, qualified prospects,vendors and strategic partners. Never sac-rifice meeting a commitment to one of them for the sake of networking.”Taylor regularly practices “work-lifeintegration” by weaving networking activi-ties into the fabric of her social life. “Thispast Independence Day, I hosted 20 guestsin my home including a world-class econ-omist, a cancer researcher, an animalrights activist, a CEO of a medical devicemanufacturer, and one of the foundersof a leading telecommunications softwarecompany. While they enjoyed good cook-ing, good wine and good company, theevent also enabled them to make valuableconnections. Dozens of business cards were exchanged. No one even realizedany business had been transacted.”
How much do you work on build-ing your professional networkingrelationships?
Very seldom.....................................8.3%Seldom...........................................45.4%Often.............................................41.0%Very Often.......................................5.3%
Source:
ExecuNet, 2008
How
Whether you are managing thousands of connections like Bates or a handful thatyou are hoping to expand, technology isgoing to play a role in your interactions.“Today, people have the ability to com-municate and share information in a way that has never been known before in the
2
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