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The following articles provide insights into the networking strategies, tactics and philosophy of Schmooze's founder, Phillip Jones. You can also listen to other networking topics in our Podcast Series and subscribe to them via iTunes. A new podcast is released at the start of each month.
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Networking 101- 'Hello,What's Your Name?
No one is a born anything I don’t think- especially great networkers.
All the skills and ease you see in confident and effective networkers come with time, practice and being conscious about what they are doing and for most people it’s a big enough challenge just to walk into a room full of strangers and say hello to someone.
Here are some basic tips to get you going and to think about:
- Decide what you want to achieve out of your networking (this will get covered in another article)
- Choose the network that’s right for you:
- Aim for a group with people the same level of rank/position (I call this peer to peer networking- its much more effective and easier than other types)
- Choose a network event that you’ll think you’ll enjoy- if you are stressed out by not being in your comfort zone it will show
- Everyone at a networking event is there is meet someone new- otherwise they’d be at home watching TV- so its perfectly OK to talk up to complete stranger as say “ hello, I’m Mary, lovely to meet you.’
- Bring a wingman or a pal- but make sure you split up during the night and regroup then head out to meet new people!
- Ask the organizer to point you in the direction of the sort of contact/person you’d like to meet (at Schmooze we offer a concierge service to bring contacts together at an event so they don’t spend all night trying to find that contact from Defence)
- Understand that you are very unlikely to walk out the door at the end of the event with a deal done. The contacts you make are the start of a relationship not the end.
- Don’t work the room, that’s just silly- what are you going to do with all those business cards? You are aiming for quality and relevance in your contacts, not harvesting cards for no reason
- Business cards are currency in networking- make sure you have some decent ones- don’t use home printing!
- You should aim to have 2-3 good conversations over a course of about an hour.
- Aim to ‘be present’ in the conversation and aim to have you both walk away from the chat having exchanged five key networking bits of information:
- Name (don’t assume!)
- What you do (tip- tell a story about what you do, not just a job title)
- Where you work (don’t use acronyms, or abbreviations)
- A sense of relevance to future goals (tip- if you are talking to someone in government – give them an example of government work you’ve done- makes you seem more relevant to them)
- Business card - I leave this to the end of the conversation as a way of closing off the chat with one of two options:
- A good contact worth following up later that week with an email or call to arrange a meet
- Someone to add to your database and maybe stay in touch with every so often
NETWORKING 101- FINDING A ROLE MODEL
Things in life are so much easier to achieve if you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve or where you want to go. The same applies for networking where it is very helpful to have a role model or two who manifests the qualities of a great networker you want to become.
So as you develop your networking skills and confidence a useful strategy is to identify several people you think ‘walk the talk’. You don’t necessary have to know them or have them as mentors (more on that option another time), but they can people in your organisation or events you attend that you can observe and model some of their tactics or behaviours yourself.
It maybe that you are a young professional who wants to make their way in their department or company and there are managers you admire who seem to know everyone and have great relationships with their colleagues , or you are in a new role and want to be more confident in your presentation and introducing yourself- you could identify someone working in a similar role who has a good reputation and rapport and look at the way they operate.
But what are some of the characteristics of a great networker for you to model yourself on?
Here are some views of Schmooze members:
- Great networkers genuinely desire to help their peers, knowing that in the future the favour may be returned. In addition, networkers tend to know many people, and they become connectors of peers with like interests or who can benefit each other.
- Someone who is an open, friendly person with a willingness to help others and share contacts and information
- Great networkers have good listening skills and an ability to connect different people in a given setting or room
- Networkers are always bringing people together for mutual benefit
- They always do whatever they promised to do during a conversation, no matter how small or big
Rather than try and take all this on board at the same time, I suggest you break your look for several role models – each offering a different aspect. For instance you can observe the sort of events and activities one role model does that suits your career direction. Another may have a really effective way of remembering names and information about the people they meet.
One person may be really good at walking up to people and introducing themselves and getting a conversation going. Decide what you want to achieve from your networking, then identify those people who are on a similar track and observe closely.
Better still you could say hi and tell them how much you admire the way they operate- that will go down very well!!
That could be the start of a mentoring relationship or at least a great learning opportunity as they share their insights and open up opportunities to you. Great networkers are always happy to ‘pay it forward’ and share insights, it all goes around afterall.
ONLINE NETWORKING- AN EFFECTIVE TOOL?
With the current craze for online social networking the question has to be asked, how effective are these tools for networking?
At face value they seem very effective-there are millions of users globally. But numbers of users are not a true indication of usefulness for professionals in generating contacts, sourcing work or promoting your expertise.
For instance, the difficulties that Facebook has had in trying to commercialise its website and introduce targeted advertising, and the resulting ‘push-back’ and drop-off of members is a case in point. Since the premise of that site was social networking, to introduce a commercial aspect or professional element into goes against its premise and why people use it.
The emerging rule seems to be that you don’t mix your work life with Facebook et alia- as the image most people represent there (their personal brand) is often at odds with their professional persona- especially the photos!
Certainly, thought has to go into how you represent yourself online, the same way a corporate website has to be up to speed and effective in presenting the brand and expertise of the organisation. So often you see regular online networkers with two ‘online brand identities: social and professional!
Another site, LinkedIn, is intended as purely for professional networks and allows users to put a work profile and create links to other colleagues/contacts. Its effectiveness depends on how up to date the profiles are (I’ve found many of them to be out of date as opposed to Facebooks ‘what I did in the last 10 minutes’ approach)- but it can be useful to see who knows who and what circles they mix in- basically where they sit in the food chain. But I’ve never known anyone get work out of it however, at least not directly.
But here’s the rub, for the most part you only get to be ‘friends’ or ‘linked’ to your online contacts by knowing the people personally and through face to face contact!
So in short, you still have to get in the same room with these people and then create an electronic relationship and use those tools to stay in touch. They can be very useful to stay up to speed on such things as contacts change of work or moving interstate, or do research and backgrounding on someone you want to cultivate, but will they get you over the line for a deal- I think not.
Another example is the Schmooze member data base on this website which is intended to facilitate member’s networking; providing both some basic information about a contact that can be used to set up a meeting or find out more about someone a member met an event. But again, it’s a support tool, it can’t replace face to face contact, it merely facilitates it.
Online networking is certainly part of an effective networking toolkit, but its only a part of the mix. At the end of the day you can’t beat being in the right room with the right people to cultivate a relationship.
ONLINE NETWORKING- PART OF THE TOOLKIT?
With the current craze for online social networking the question has to be asked, how effective are these tools for networking?
At face value they seem very effective-there are millions of users globally. But numbers of users are not a true indication of usefulness for professionals in generating contacts, sourcing work or promoting your expertise.
For instance, the difficulties that Facebook has had in trying to commercialise its website and introduce targeted advertising, and the resulting ‘push-back’ and drop-off of members is a case in point. Since the premise of that site was social networking, to introduce a commercial aspect or professional element into goes against its premise and why people use it.
The emerging rule seems to be that you don’t mix your work life with Facebook et alia- as the image most people represent there (their personal brand) is often at odds with their professional persona- especially the photos!
Certainly, thought has to go into how you represent yourself online, the same way a corporate website has to be up to speed and effective in presenting the brand and expertise of the organisation. So often you see regular online networkers with two ‘online brand identities: social and professional!
Another site, LinkedIn, is intended as purely for professional networks and allows users to put a work profile and create links to other colleagues/contacts. Its effectiveness depends on how up to date the profiles are (I’ve found many of them to be out of date as opposed to Facebooks ‘what I did in the last 10 minutes’ approach)- but it can be useful to see who knows who and what circles they mix in- basically where they sit in the food chain. But I’ve never known anyone get work out of it however, at least not directly.
But here’s the rub, for the most part you only get to be ‘friends’ or ‘linked’ to your online contacts by knowing the people personally and through face to face contact!
So in short, you still have to get in the same room with these people and then create an electronic relationship and use those tools to stay in touch. They can be very useful to stay up to speed on such things as contacts change of work or moving interstate, or do research and backgrounding on someone you want to cultivate, but will they get you over the line for a deal- I think not.
Another example is the Schmooze member data base on this website which is intended to facilitate member’s networking; providing both some basic information about a contact that can be used to set up a meeting or find out more about someone a member met an event. But again, it’s a support tool, it can’t replace face to face contact, it merely facilitates it.
Online networking is certainly part of an effective networking toolkit, but its only a part of the mix. At the end of the day you can’t beat being in the right room with the right people to cultivate a relationship.
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Networking: a way of seeing the world
The most common perception of networking is of turning up to a venue, putting on a name tag, and handing out business cards to complete strangers whilst sipping on wine of a dubious ancestry. Many people who network do so unwillingly - it being part of their job description and they feel the pressure of collecting business cards and getting the word out about their organisation to as many people as possible. This pressure and stress can make it even harder for good contacts to be made and to communicate effectively.
But is doesn't have to be that way.
By changing the way we see networking we can approach the process with confidence. In fact, many of us network very well all the time without realising it. Every time we recommend a good place for coffee, or recommend a plumber, or someone to wash the dog is a form of networking. We share information, ask advice, make time for each other, send interesting articles via email or clips from YouTube to stay in touch with friends and colleagues . All this activity and maintains your relationship, keeps you in synch and a great way to keep the momentum up. The process should be the same for your professional relationships.
The sharing of information, the giving of favours and making time for others is the essence of great networking.
In my networking workshops, I stress that networking is a way of seeing the world full of opportunity. In may sound paradoxical in the commercial world , but the more you give out the more you get in return, eventually. All things being equal, people (especially in a small place like Canberra) want to do business with people they like and they trust.
To earn that relationship takes time, personal attention and cultivation- just like any good relationship. So the more you help your professional colleagues out, the more positive they see you, the more relevant you become and your professional profile rises above your peers and competitors.
But more importantly, over time those professional relationships you've cultivated will in turn recommend you to others (the best form of marketing there is) and when the time is right you'll get the work , the lead, the information you were seeking. So stay focused on the main game- the quality and depth of your relationships and not the number of business cards in your collection.
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Building momentum in your professional relationships
It’s one thing to meet someone at a function and think you’ve got something in common- but then what?
The most common failing of people who network is going to all the trouble of going to an event then doing nothing about the contacts they meet there. Good networking is a process not an event, so you have to see the first meeting as the start of a process.
A systematic process of following up your contacts doesn’t have to be hard or complicated- but it should be a standard part of any event you attend.
It is silly to think you are going to walk away with a sale or similar at a function- that rarely happens- would you do business with a complete stranger? Last month I talked about building trust in your professional relationships, and that process starts with a phone call or personalised email (I prefer within 24 hours) to say how nice it was to meet them, include a reference about something you talked about and depending on how the chat went, either an offer to meet (if you think there is a definite prospect) or just saying you are looking forward to meeting you again.
Over time you may seem them again at a similar function, or meet for coffee or whatever, but you can build on that first contact. It may be that they are not in your target sector, but know people who do- or they may change departments and voila- a great contact in the right place!
How often you stay in touch can be just as important. Some companies deploy client relationship management systems to rate contacts, record interactions with them and record all sorts of trivia such as birthdays and dog’s name they pick up in their dealings with them. Most people seem to leave it to chance and hope they meet them in Manuka or the next function.
I would suggest using some sort of system, no matter how basic, to ensure that your contacts are kept in touch regularly, but not too often. I also suggest that not all your interactions with them be work related- again- how would you feel if someone only called you to talk about their new product or work?
So make the most of your investment in time and money by attending events or any other form of networking- be systematic and personalised in your follow-ups and eventually you’ll reap the rewards, often in unexpected ways.
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Networking: fostering future opportunities
Our professional lives now run at an unprecedented pace and the division between work and social life is fast being diluted- unfortunately.
Good networkers understand that time and favours are the currency of networking. These are the things often in short supply in our professional life, and the giving of them provide both a ‘bank’ which you can draw on later, but also the conditions for a mutually rewarding relationship.
Making yourself available to others and assisting in small ways when you can is a powerful way to foster relevance and professional profile.
This is not to suggest that you give to the detriment of yourself or your organisation, there has to be discrimination in your investment into others. There is a risk that people may just take what you offer, but there is another way of looking at this- wouldn’t you rather be involved professionally in the life of others than not- wouldn’t you want your phone to be ringing, than not?
People resent being turned into approached only when someone wants something from them. You don’t hear from them for months and then a call and they want a favour-you may well help them, but do you feel a little used? Much nicer is to have those contacts who you stay in touch with frequently, mostly about non-work matters and when they do ask for favour you don’t mind at all- you don’t feel like a commodity.
Gaining access to the right people in an organisation can be very challenging- no one gets good results from ‘cold calls’ anymore – you need access through existing relationships to be effective in finding the information or contact you are seeking to communicate with.
This point is particularly true for young professionals who tend to live in the now and can have very transient relationships (of all sorts). But think about this – its much easier to meet a young lawyer, public or architect or designer now when you have far more in common, than in five years time when you might need them the most.
Not all of us know the CEO of a company or Secretary of a Department. But one day we will - maintain the contacts we have now and you’ll have the access when and where it counts.
So by cultivating contacts and networks now you are sowing the seeds for future success and prosperity.
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