There’s a misconception that networking is strictly for job hunting, but the most successful people do it on a daily basis, all year long. Your network is your professional currency, and trust me, you want to be rich. And it’s not Instagram followers you need, but meaningful connections in real life.
Kathryn Rose, CEO and founder of wiseHer, a company that provides on-demand expert advice for women business owners and entrepreneurs, credits her success to her network.
“My No. 1 rule is to give, give, get. I believe wholeheartedly that when networking, you need to have a genuine desire to help others first,” says Rose, who has more than 10,000 connections on LinkedIn.
Susan McPherson from McPherson Strategies, a communications consultancy, agrees. “Walking into an event, I ask myself, how can I best provide support for those in the room?” she says. “I will always walk up to the person standing alone and say hello, even if it can feel uncomfortable or intimidating to me.”
LinkedIn ran an online survey last year among more than 2,150 working professionals, ages 18 to 74. They found that more than 70 percent of professionals get hired at a company where they have a professional connection, and nearly half of the professionals said their network has helped them discover new career opportunities.
“No matter what you’re in it for — a new job, a promotion at your current company, acquiring a new skill, changing industries or building a new client base — your professional community is your rocket fuel to get you there,” says LinkedIn’s career expert, Blair Decembrele.
But not all of the numbers are positive.
“We recently found that one-third have never met a professional connection outside of work and more than a quarter have never attended a networking event,” says Decembrele. “Being time-stretched is the biggest obstacle to building professional relationships, with 26 percent of professionals stating they simply don’t have time, and almost half saying they’d rather use free time for family or social commitments.”
That’s why Decembrele recommends nontraditional networking, like “sweatworking,” where you exercise while schmoozing, to improve business relationships.
“Push yourself to try something new with a professional contact, making the most of your time and theirs,” she says.
Nikki Mendell, a brand and partnerships consultant, recommends always taking “the meeting.”
“Opportunities can lie beneath the surface. Even if someone doesn’t seem to be an obvious fit for your goals, they may know someone who can help, or the conversation may set off a lightbulb for you,” she says.
Before meeting a new contact, you should always prepare.
“By doing your homework, you have the opportunity to find something that you share with the person you’re meeting,” says Natalia Oberti Noguera from investment firm Pipeline Angels. “This point in common could help you build a rapport.”
Allyson Downey, author of “Here’s the Plan: Your Practical, Tactical Guide to Advancing Your Career Through Pregnancy and Parenthood” (Seal Press), recommends finding a systematic way to keep track of relationships. “Use a Google spreadsheet or a tool like Streak to track when you’ve met with someone, how you know them and anything else you may not have space to store in your brain,” she says.
Be thoughtful when asking someone for an introduction, however. It’s their credibility on the line. Entrepreneur Anat Baron says that she is “always happy to connect people, but I do it strategically, mostly because I want there to be a good likelihood for success and value derived by both sides. Take the time to tell me about the desired outcome. Get me excited about the fit.
If I believe it’s right, I’ll make the introduction happen because I care.”
But what if you have no idea how to build your network?
Tiffany Dufu is founder and CEO of the Cru (FindYourCru.com), a peer coaching service for women looking to accelerate their professional and personal growth. She believes that the best networking tip is to keep your network informed about you. “Once a year I send an e-mail update to my network,” she says, telling them “what I’ve achieved personally and professionally over the past year and what I’m most excited about for the future.”
Susan Danziger of video marketing firm Ziggeo believes in the “magic 30.”
“Every weekday I make 30 points of contact,” she says. “It could be to a customer, a business partner, a potential client or even an old friend. By sticking with this formula, the number of contacts quickly adds up. By the end of any workweek, I’ve made 150 points of contact; 600 by the end of the month; thousands before I know it.”
Mary Lemmer, author of “Straight From the Investor’s Mouth: 111 Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs” (CreateSpace), stresses the importance of the follow-up in order to really build the connection. “Just like a bank account grows with interest, your relationship will grow over time, as long as you’re making more deposits than withdrawals,” she says.
However, you don’t have to go to everything you are invited to. Dee Poku, from women’s networking company WIE Network, says it’s better to be intentional instead.
“The ideal networking environment is an intimate gathering where you know the host but very few others,” she says. “Intimate dinners are great because they create openness and makes it easier for you to cover the room. Once there, speak up. Follow up with everyone you meet no later than a day or two. All it needs is a brief, friendly note to anchor the relationship.”
