In the world of consulting, we have a fine balance of actual work we are doing for clients on a day to day basis and also continuously looking for leads to generate new business. One of my most successful colleagues once told me that he dedicates anywhere up to 1 hour per day on networking activities. This could be in the form of organizing his contacts for the coming week through to spending an hour catching up over coffee/drinks with someone he hasn't connected with in a long time.
So, the adage rings true in this case, the 'who' is of paramount importance.
I don't think in this era of technology that anyone who is in business doesn't network; because if you have a facebook, myspace, friendster, etc.. account - you are networking! But, it is how you target your approach to networking that actually gets you somewhere. Here are a few places to plan your attack!
LinkedIn - This is Facebook for business. Think of this as your resume and complete it as much as possible. Even better - get recommended! Then, join a few groups and participate in discussion boards. This essentially grows your brand and ensures you are accessible to a wider audience.
Your Brand - With all of the available technology out there you need to ensure you are branded and memorable. Build yourself a blog related to your industry, contribute to others, create a website for you, ensure your business cards are memorable and get people's attention. I don't know how many times people have commented on my logo and website - these are things that matter!
Events - In every community there are a number of social & networking events every month. Find out what they are and attend 1. You can waste a ton of money going to all of them, but find something that truly interests you and ensure that you engage with more than one person at that event. If you are a shy person, find the most outgoing person you know and take them along!
Family Connections - This is a bit of a delicate area, because you really want to make sure you only approach people focused on the relationship instead of possible business aspects. Sooner or later the topic always gets around to what you are doing.
So, the adage rings true in this case, the 'who' is of paramount importance.
I don't think in this era of technology that anyone who is in business doesn't network; because if you have a facebook, myspace, friendster, etc.. account - you are networking! But, it is how you target your approach to networking that actually gets you somewhere. Here are a few places to plan your attack!
LinkedIn - This is Facebook for business. Think of this as your resume and complete it as much as possible. Even better - get recommended! Then, join a few groups and participate in discussion boards. This essentially grows your brand and ensures you are accessible to a wider audience.
Your Brand - With all of the available technology out there you need to ensure you are branded and memorable. Build yourself a blog related to your industry, contribute to others, create a website for you, ensure your business cards are memorable and get people's attention. I don't know how many times people have commented on my logo and website - these are things that matter!
Events - In every community there are a number of social & networking events every month. Find out what they are and attend 1. You can waste a ton of money going to all of them, but find something that truly interests you and ensure that you engage with more than one person at that event. If you are a shy person, find the most outgoing person you know and take them along!
Family Connections - This is a bit of a delicate area, because you really want to make sure you only approach people focused on the relationship instead of possible business aspects. Sooner or later the topic always gets around to what you are doing.
Remember, networking can be very rewarding. From my experience, the best way to approach it is to build out your social base and let the business take care of itself. People are far more willing to refer a friend than feel like they are being used to generate business for you.
