networking | love it or loath it?

Is networking your idea or heaven or hell?

Before I began Be You Consultancy & Coaching I had the firm belief that I didn’t need to network and didn’t have time to sit and ‘have coffee’ with people - I had work to do and that was the most important action of my day….

On reflection how wrong I was!

So if you are already in this mindset that is amazing and I challenge you to get more people to realise the power of their ‘NET’.

Why the change in mindset?

The change of my mindset began during COVID when, like many, I realised that whilst I knew my team and colleagues I didn’t know my community or my surroundings. I felt alone. I wanted to get to know more about the area I was living in and had lived in for years but also who my neighbours were and what they did for their careers / lives - what made them tick.

When I started in business I had some very wise words given to me which was to:

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Network, Network, Network. ​After all you are your brand and if no-one knows you how can they know your brand? 

This, as you can imagine resonated with me and I networked with vengeance!

The Art of Networking

Remembering that “art is in the eye of the beholder” according to E.A Bucchineri 
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Where can we start with networking?

I once read “Networking for People who hate Networking” by Devora Zack which should give a good overview as to where I was in my mindset! The aim should be to talk to new people and ask them questions about their business and their role so that you build rapport with them and a relationship flourishes however, the majority of people who network have the habit of talking to their friends, people they’ve known for years and having a good gossip - whilst I could ask here whether that action is good for their business or brand it is more important to ask, what is their aim of attending the networking? Was it to catch up with a contact and talk shop or was it go out and market their business?

People attend these sessions for so many different reasons, it could even be that they just wanted to get out of the house for a bit or thought the subject that was being discussed sounded interesting - but what is important is that we don’t assume people are all going for the same reason!

So why do you network? Do you know what your end goal is? 
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Here are some of my tips for networking 

​Aim

• Identify what your end goal is, what do you want from the networking group considering whether they meet your needs i.e. for me I would consider, types of business that attend, level or roles, business size.
• Consider what type of networking you are wanting, do you want formal, informal / in person or online.
• How much are you willing to pay for the experience?

Preparation

• Depending on the type of networking and your goal, consider whether you need to prepare before the event. Some individuals go through the list of attendees prior to the meeting, researching and identifying those whom they want to connect with.
• What is your messaging going to be? How will you describe your role, and purpose?
• Do you need to prepare an overview, how long will it be? In some networking meetings you only get 30-45 seconds for an overview so make sure this is prepped so you are synced in your messaging.
• Consider how people will connect with you after the meeting - do you need to take business cards or a QR code? Are your profiles up to date and appropriate? Or will they be joining your ‘friends’ section on social media and is that congruent with your aims?

On the Day

• Arrive on time or early - this way you will be in the best position to meet as many people as possible before the meeting begins.
• Consider your brand, what is the image people will take away with them after meeting you?
• Will you rush off at the end of the meeting, or will you linger taking all the opportunities to connect with people?

Afterwards

• Connect with people! You’ve done the hard work of getting to the meeting, prepping, working out what you want to say so make sure you close the circle and create that connection!
• Connect with them on LinkedIn, Facebook or any other platform that they use.
• REFLECT - consider how did the meeting go, what would you do differently next time, what did you enjoy and what didn’t you enjoy!

​Then start again!!!

Meeting new people can be hard for some of us (me included!) as an introvert I find it tiring, it doesn’t give me the energy as if I was an extrovert however, the more I do it the more enjoyable it is. I find arriving early and finding a ‘job’ really helps takes my nerves away and if I can’t do that I ‘act as if’. That means that I just pretend I’m super confident and eventually that will come true!

If you want to work on your strategies for networking, growing your confidence or another area then please contact me.

Be You can empower you through our Coaching Programme making sure that you have all the strategies you need to Be You!

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