Dr. Judi Craig, MCC
Executive Coach
Dr. Judi Craig, MCC Executive Coach |
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Networking
For Business Success
(SA Woman, 2003) Unfortunately, many
people think that networking is shaking hands and passing out and collecting
business cards at group functions. They
think that a successful networking experience is one in which they meet the most
people and exchange the most cards. They
figure “The more people who know about me the better”! While that statement is
somewhat true, it misses the point. Networking
is not about telling people about you; successful networkers know it’s
really about you knowing about other people!
If you concentrate on their needs, on how you can help them,
you will make yourself more attractive to them and, consequently, increase the
likelihood that they will want to help you. It’s far better to
engage in a good conversation with a few people at an event than it is to dash
around trying to see how many people you can “meet and greet”.
You want to find out about their businesses and their current needs.
You want to see if you can find a way to help them get So let’s say you meet a new person at an event.
What do you say to her? How
do you get a good conversation going? One of the very best
questions you can ask someone after she’s told you a bit about what she does
is this: “So when I meet someone, how will I know if he or she is a good
prospect The other person will
be pleasantly surprised by this question and, even more important, eager to
answer it. And she is likely to
return the favor, giving you an opportunity to let her know how she can be
helpful to you. If you find yourself
grasping for things to say, have a few “canned” questions that you’ve
thought of that will get the person talking about her business or career.
Consider these:
By showing genuine
interest in the other person (rather than concentrating on yourself), you’ll
be much more likely to make a positive impression.
Go ahead and exchange a business card at this point, but the reason
you’ll give the person yours is so you can get hers.
Jot a few words on the back of her card to jog your memory later about
your conversation. When you return from
the event, you’ll probably have four to six business cards of people you
actually know something about. Now
as you look at each card, think about your own network--who do you know who
might be able to help this person? Who
provides a service that she might need? Who
might want to be a customer? If she
is job-hunting, what contacts do you have in her industry? Write each person a
brief note or give her a call. If
you don’t know anyone who can help right at the moment, let her know that you
will be thinking about possible ways you can be of service in a specific
way. Not “I’ll try to think of
someone who would be a good contact for you” but “I’ll be on the look-out
for a manufacturing company who is looking for a good engineer like yourself”.
This way you personalize your note and let the other person know that you
do, in fact, remember her and are not just sending out generic notes to everyone
you met. The better impression
you make on someone, the more likely she is to remember you as her network comes
into mind. What else--besides
focusing on her needs--will assure a memorable impression? Your handshake, for
one. It needs to be firm, not
wishy-washy or flimsy. A “limp
dishrag” handshake smacks of insecurity and ineffectualness.
It needs to be strong without crushing other people’s hands and/or
digging their rings into their fingers. You also need to
broadcast self-assurance. You
don’t want to look depressed or down in the dumps, nor do you want to come
across as a hyped-up cheerleader. If
you tend to be somewhat shy, that’s okay.
Just remember to think of some questions in advance so that you can
engage people in meaningful conversation rather than stand awkwardly in silence. If you are wearing a
nametag, place it on your right shoulder, not your left.
Why? Because when you shake
hands, your nametag will be easier for the other person to read; with the tag on
your left shoulder, you’ll be covering it up as you reach across with your
right hand. So long as you have the
mindset that networking is all about figuring out how you can be of help to the other
person, you’ll find new contacts who will be impressed with you and who will
want to be help you in return. Judi
Craig, Ph.D., MCC
is an Executive & Career Coach in SIDEBAR:
Who’s In Your Network? It has been said that the average person knows at least 250
people. If you don’t believe that,
begin making a list of everyone you know including…
Keep the list handy and you’ll find yourself thinking of
additional people during the next few days—or maybe at two in the morning.
As one new person pops into mind, chances are you’ll automatically
think of two or three more. After a few days, count your list; you’ll probably
have at least 250 people. Why is this important? Because
when you network with one person, you’re really potentially networking with that
person’s network of 250! |
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