Achieve Success through Networking
Meet the Right People to Benefit Personally and Professionally
Aug 16, 2009
Joe Vitale, author of Turbocharge Your Writing, describes networking as “the highest form of service. It’s people helping each other in a partnership destined for mutual benefit.”
When used effectively, networking is a relatively inexpensive marketing tool. It can help one win contracts, land a dream job, or meet that very important decision maker that will help boost sales significantly.
According to Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas, authors of Power Networking, networking is more than a daily checklist; it is “an attitude, an approach to life” that helps one relate differently to the resources and people available to them.
Why Network?
The power of networking cannot be ignored: it is about who one knows, rather than what one knows.
- A referral can lead to 80% more results than a cold call.
- More than 70% of jobs are secured through networking.
- The majority of people have at least 250 contacts one can tap into.
- The cost of hiring through networking is zero, while the cost of traditional recruitment (through ads and/or recruitment agencies) can be over $20,000.
10 Tips to a Better Network
Anyone who enables others to succeed is both respected and sought after by other networkers. The following steps will help one expand their own list of treasured contacts and build a stronger personal and professional network.
- Help others achieve their goals. Be of assistance and they will be happy to return the favour.
- Offer to play host at networking events and be in a position to meet everyone who attends.
- Always have sufficient business cards available and hand them out as needed.
- Follow-up with appropriate calls, assistance and well-timed gifts.
- Courteously accept and acknowledge any help received from others.
- Politely decline to attend events or meetings that are of no value and waste valuable time.
- Practice asking for others’ support in a pleasant but clear manner.
- Look for opportunities to ask, “Who do you know who can help me with…?” When provided with a contact name, follow-up promptly.
- Join professional organizations that will provide more opportunities for networking and skill development.
- Become recognized as a great networker with a reputable and valuable network.
While networking used to be considered an aggressive way of getting one’s way, it is now seen as a lifestyle, as a way of doing business and helping others become successful in the process. It is no longer seen as an impersonal and cold approach, but rather as a way to express interest in others and support them when possible.
“Knowledgeable people know facts. Successful and prosperous people know people.” John Demartini
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