One of the biggest mistake people make in networking is expecting too much too soon. Networking is a process, not an event. You can’t simply pass out cards or connect online and expect anything to come from it in the short term.
It takes time to nurture a relationship. You need to learn more about what a person does, what they want, and how you can help them. You have to focus on them before you can expect them to focus on you.
Another mistake is expecting the other guy to initiate contact or follow-up with you. If you want the relationship to progress, you have to move it forward.
Call or email and set up a time to talk or meet. Learn all you can about their business. Find out what they want or need.
If you know anyone who can help them, give them a referral. If you see information they need, send it along.
Give, without expecting anything in return. Waste of time? It might be with some contacts. But there’s this thing called Karma and if you put out enough positive energy and help enough people, it does come back to you. You don’t know from whom, or when, but it always does.
Want some good news? You can get better results from networking without leaving your office or making a single new contact online. You already know plenty of people.
Look at your address book. There are people in there you haven’t spoken to in years. You might not even remember who they are. You’ve got old clients, attorneys and other professionals, dozens if not hundreds of people you met at one time. You have a connection, however tenuous, and you can leverage it starting today.
Choose someone, even at random. Pick up the phone and call, or send an email. Tell them you just saw their name in your contact list and you are embarrassed to admit that you don’t remember where you met. Or tell them it’s been years since you spoke and you want to say hello and see how they’re doing.
Tell them you’d like to get to know them better, or get reacquainted. Ask them to tell you about their company, what they do, or what’s going on in their life.
Start a conversation. Update contact information. Keep your ears open to learn how you can help them.
At some point, they will ask about you. Answer briefly, and then go back to them. Show them you truly want to know more about them. You might find out that they offer a product or service one of your other contacts needs. Perfect. You can help both of them.
Follow up with a brief note, acknowledging your conversation. Send the information you promised or remind them to send you theirs.
Schedule an in person meeting. Or calendar a date in a couple of weeks to contact them again. Ask more questions and tell them you would love to see how you could work together. Propose some ideas.
No man is an island. All of your contacts need or want something, whether it’s referrals, information, or advice, and so do you. All you need are a few who see the value of having you in their life and the willingness to meet you half way.
Marketing is easy, when you know The Formula
