{"id":473,"date":"2012-11-30T19:22:10","date_gmt":"2012-11-30T19:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/16-quick-tips-to-become-a-better-networker\/"},"modified":"2012-11-30T19:22:10","modified_gmt":"2012-11-30T19:22:10","slug":"16-quick-tips-to-become-a-better-networker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/16-quick-tips-to-become-a-better-networker\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Quick Tips To Become A Better Networker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Six degrees of separation are allegedly all that stand between you and anyone on the planet. \u00a0Or, according to my father, \u201cThere are not six degrees of separation, there are two;\u00a0you just have to think hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like him, I\u2019m a connector, and would agree that regardless of how many people it takes to connect us, no one is too far removed.\u00a0 More so, it can be a great joy to facilitate those connections for people in your network.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve also learned that just because things come naturally to me, it\u2019s not always the same for others. I learned this most pointedly with networking. \u00a0Here are 16 quick, immediate tips to help you become a better networker:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Networking starts with your current contacts<\/strong>. Networking\u00a0doesn\u2019t necessarily mean actively pursuing making new relationships. Cultivate those you have already and invest in those relationships first.<\/li>\n
  2. Even if you \u201cdon\u2019t need to network,\u201d you do<\/strong>.\u00a0You never know when you\u2019ll need someone to help connect you (not always professionally). It\u2019s improper to ask someone for help when you\u2019ve not spoken to him\/her in ages, but now are doing so simply to ask for something. \u00a0Therefore, refer back to tip #1.<\/li>\n
  3. Think of networking as a puzzle you\u2019re piecing together<\/strong>.\u00a0What need does someone else have and how can you use your resources to fill that gap?<\/li>\n
  4. Don\u2019t throw your cards around<\/strong>.\u00a0We all know the person who shoves his\/her business card down your throat immediately.\u00a0 It\u2019s a turnoff, and not a very polite way to engage a new contact.\u00a0 Offer your business card\u00a0after<\/em>\u00a0having a conversation \u2014 and asking for the other person\u2019s first.<\/li>\n
  5. Remember their Rolodex.\u00a0<\/strong>The power of networking is the people your contacts know, not always your contact directly.\u00a0 Keep that in mind as you help guide people towards how to help connect you.<\/li>\n
  6. Set expectations.\u00a0<\/strong>Let people know how and when you\u2019ll contact them (and then do it).<\/li>\n
  7. Ask questions that are deeper than, \u201cWhat do you do?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>When possible, begin conversations with questions about someone personally, not necessarily their profession.\u00a0 Get to know them and attempt to find commonalities. They will tend to remember those conversations best.<\/li>\n
  8. Create \u201creconnect\u201d files.\u00a0<\/strong>In your calendar, create files on monthly rotation with lists of people you\u2019ve met and with whom you want to keep in touch. For contacts that have more immediate, obvious value (networking partners), create individual monthly reconnect files to spark you to reach out to them in the future. \u00a0No need to reach out every month, but seeing their name (relevancy) is half the battle. \u00a0Reach out when you have an interesting article to share, want to see how they\u2019re doing, or ask about their latest trip, etc.\u00a0 Let people know you\u2019ll stay in touch every month or so, then do it!<\/li>\n
  9. Remember birthdays (and the small stuff)!\u00a0<\/strong>If your contact has an important meeting or proposal, remember and contact him\/her to wish him\/her luck and ask how he\/she did.\u00a0 If it would be important to you, it\u2019s likely important to him\/her and will be meaningful for you to remember.<\/li>\n
  10. Be specific when describing your ideal targets.\u00a0<\/strong>This specificity can be related to job leads, sales leads, dating interests, or otherwise. \u201cAnybody\u201d means nobody, so get specific.<\/li>\n
  11. Ask them what they need.\u00a0<\/strong>Then try to provide it by connecting them with someone you know and trust.<\/li>\n
  12. Give first \u2014 without expectation of something in return.\u00a0<\/strong>It tends to be obvious when you give from a genuine place, rather than from a place of expecting something in return. \u00a0Those who give, get, but don\u2019t do so with immediate expectation.<\/li>\n
  13. Utilize LinkedIn!\u00a0<\/strong>Link to new and old connections, go through their contacts, and ask for introductions.<\/li>\n
  14. Remember that at a networking event, everyone is there to meet new people.\u00a0<\/strong>Going alone and walking up to strangers is the point. Everyone has some apprehension.\u00a0 Take the initiative.<\/li>\n
  15. Ask, \u201cWhy should they care?\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>Do you know how to describe yourself or your business in one sentence that demonstrates some value to the listener, not couched in industry-speak? \u00a0Or, can you explain it so that they might be interested in continuing the conversation? Example: I help people to ________.<\/li>\n
  16. Listen more than you talk!\u00a0<\/strong>People love to talk about themselves, and you can\u2019t learn about the other person if you\u2019re doing all of the talking.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If networking intimidates you \u2014 or you think you\u2019re all set and don\u2019t need to do it to begin with! \u2014 think again. \u00a0Refer back to these tips the next time you\u2019re looking for a reference for a personal or business service, a job lead, a new hire, or any number of other things a strong network can provide.<\/p>\n

    No one is immune from networking.\u00a0 Embrace it, find the fun in it, and it will serve you well.<\/p>\n

    Via Forbes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Six degrees of separation are allegedly all that stand between you and anyone on the planet. \u00a0Or, according to my father, \u201cThere are not six degrees of separation, there are two;\u00a0you just have to think hard enough.\u201d Like him, I\u2019m a connector, and would agree that regardless of how many people it takes to connect us, no one is too far removed.\u00a0 More so, it can be a great joy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[14,153],"class_list":["post-473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-tips","tag-music-business","tag-tips","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vakseen.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}