4 Four Important Points For Networking

 

THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKING TO BUILDING BUSINESS

For micro and small business owners networking has become second to breathing.

Since the COVID pandemic struck business operations globally in the year 2020, the way of doing business has changed drastically. Online events have bridged that gap of time and distance and have harnessed strong community support among business professionals.

This socioeconomic activity yields positively when carried out consistently. The core purpose of networking is for the exchange of information, referrals, sharing of industry-specific and general advice, words of motivation, and even seeking potential candidates for job interviews.

Networking is important because it can help you stay on top of the latest industry trends, develop and improve your skills, meet prospective mentors, gain access to new resources, make way for business collaborations, career development, and find potential clients.

When your networking is driven by shared interests, it will feel more authentic. – Forbes

Now something that is most critical to your networking success, is knowing the right way to do it. Here are some pertinent facts to note to ensure you are networking successfully.

Don’t:

1. Network ONLY when you need work
2. Connect just to get a favor
3. Always want help but never give it
4. Reject a connection because of the status

By this, you should know what you need to do to be successful.

Do’s:

1. 1. Network Consistently
   2. Build relationships
   3. Offer help when and where you can
   4. Add connections regardless of the title

Networking is successful when you understand, it’s all about what you can do for your contact and what they can do for you. Relationships, be they personal or professional take time and effort to grow. Remember to be authentic, it’s easy to buy into someone’s product or services when they know your story by how concisely you articulate what you do.

This brings me to something very critical, ensure to show up to networking events. The next big opportunity can be a connection away.

Be sure to:

1. Interact with more than one person
2. Build a personal database on who does what: If anyone is looking for someone with a particular skill set, you will know who in your network you can refer. It may seem tedious but nothing happens before its time, so trust the process and enjoy it.

Networking can help you build recognition for your brand or business, the more you put yourself out there the better. This can be as simple as meeting people in online groups and individually.

With all these benefits highlighted, you really have nothing to lose.

I know that for some people, networking and meeting new people comes easier than for other people. If meeting and speaking with people, especially new people, is something uncomfortable for you then it will be difficult at first to throw yourself into this situation.

One method to overcome the “discomfort” is to focus on meeting just one person at the event, whether in person or online. You can also allow the person you met to dominate the conversation until you feel comfortable to chime in. Whatever you do or however you chose to make yourself comfortable in the uncomfortable situation, DO NOT let the fear of doing something new cripple you into not putting yourself out there.

Remember that networking is one major way you can showcase yourself and your business to a new audience as well as help you make valuable connections for the future.

If you have any questions or would like to add any information to this blog post, please feel free to leave me a reply.

This guest post was written by Candice Reid Bethel of Virtuscope.