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RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
Though I have attended various business networking groups in the
past, I have never gained anything from them. What are the key tactics to
getting a return on my time spent in this environment?
While attending networking functions is a great way to build business
relationships, your success in making your efforts worthwhile definitely
require some “tactics”. Let’s look a few to get you in the right direction:
1) Evaluate when networking fits within your schedule and source out the
networks that run during these times. There are networking functions that
run in the early morning, afternoons and evenings. Some run weekly, others
run monthly. Are you a morning person? Can you afford to be away from the
office for a few hours in the afternoon? Which evenings can you commit to on
an ongoing basis? To get the most out of your networking, the schedule has
to be convenient for you so you are fully present in the moment, and just as
important, you want to ensure that you can attend on a regular basis. More
on this shortly.
2) Once you have sourced out networks that fit within your schedule, see if
you can attend each as a “guest” to get a feel of the environment. Are the
other members inline with the type of individuals you can do business with?
What are the costs? Some networks have yearly membership dues. What are the
added time commitments? Some networks request volunteer time from their
members for charity functions, board duties, etc. What are their
expectations from you as a member and are you comfortable with them? For
instance, there are networks that expect their members to make solid
referrals at each meeting. What are your boundaries?
3) Once you have found a network or two that appeals to your schedule and
desired contact scenario, make the commitment to attend on a regular basis.
This is very important if you want to be able to build relationships with
the other members. There are two basic sides to networking: who can you help
and who can help you. If your intentions are to blow into a function,
collect business cards and expect business from them, then you are missing
the point. Networking is about creating solid relationships beyond the
surface level. It’s about getting to know not only the business, but the
individual behind it. Within your network, make the effort to meet and spend
quality conversations with as many members as possible. During each
gathering, continue to approach these different people to basically “find
out what’s new?” When you become familiar with others and they become
familiar with you, doors open!
Written by Illiki Rai, owner of Rising Women Magazine. Have your business questions answered by our Experts! Email them to
experts@risingwomen.com
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