You know what it feels like. 

Your mouth turns to cotton, you can’t remember what your business is about or what job you’re looking for, and you have no idea how to form a complete sentence.  Why?  You’ve just stepped through the door into a networking event. 

For job seekers, business owners, and anyone interested in helping others and themselves move forward professionally and personally, networking is just something you have to do.  And it doesn’t have to be painful.

Networking is simply developing relationships that are mutually beneficial.  Starting up a conversation, learning a little bit about the other person, and listening for ways you can help them connect to people you know.  You don’t have to be an extrovert or the life of the party to network.  You simply need to be interested in helping other people. 

Here are three easy steps to get your networking strategy kicked into high-gear:

1. Create your networking kit (you probably already have everything you need)
2. Prepare your conversation starters
3. Plan your follow-up

We’ve heard that preparation is a key to success.  That holds true for networking.  Taking a few moments to think strategically about how you want to network and what you’re going to say will reduce a lot of the tension associated with building these relationships.

Bob Burg is my all-time favorite speaker and author when it comes to learning how to incorporate networking into my business and personal life. “All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business [and job leads] to those people they know, like, and trust.”   His book “Endless Referrals” teaches you how to authentically develop the relationships that result in more business (job leads!) for both of you.  It’s a must read for business professionals.

You probably know someone who is looking for a job – you already have a relationship.  Help her out.  Network with her.  Try this:

1.  Call her and ask how her job search is going.
2. Ask her what kind of job she’s looking for.
3. Think about all the people you know (relatives, friends, people from your church, etc.) and identify one person who might be helpful to your friend.  (Someone who is in the same field, or works or worked at a similar company, or has the same hobbies or interests.)  You simply want to make a connection for your friend.  (You don’t have to find her a job.)
4. Give your friend your connection’s name and phone number.  Better yet, offer to introduce your friend to him.

There.  You’ve networked.  Way to go!

In the next few posts we’ll continue this discussion, focusing on the three steps to successful networking. 

I’m curious…what creates your greatest sense of anxiety when you think about networking?

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Networking. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.