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Networking and Professional Relationship Articles
The following articles provide insights into the networking strategies, tactics and philosophy of Schmooze's founder, Phillip Jones. Phillip is also available to assist individuals and companies develop a comprehensive networking strategy or develop interpersonal skills, read more here.
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 What is Networking?
Networking combines research, communication, presentation and interpersonal skills to cultivate contacts and opportunities in a professional
and systematic manner. Networking is also more than about collecting contacts, it’s a process that is a powerful way to learn and to collaborate
and exploit potential synergies.
At its best, it is a mutually beneficial professional relationship that is targeted and systematic. Good networkers see the world in terms of connections, opportunities and what they can do to bring people together.
They know the cultivating and assisting their contacts in an collaborative way will payoff in the long term. This process builds a profile in the form of 'professional capital' which brings together their expertise, reputation, the circles they move in, and the access they have to decision makers.
That capital will be an asset you can take with you in any role and can help drive your personal and professional success- the old saying is true: its always about who you know.
The contacts and colleagues you make will over time become a valuable source of information, inspiration and access.
These contacts are doorways to a world of opportunity and information, but have to be built up with trust over time. Organisations or individuals that deploy a systematic networking strategy will receive more financial, promotional and brand awareness benefits over those who don’t.
Networking is also an invaluable means to gather market intelligence, or professional ‘gossip‘ which helps build up a picture that can be very useful for policy proposal or business case.
Networking Isn’t Dirty Word
Google ‘networking’ and your first result is most likely going to be a Wikipedia article on computer connections. Try, ‘professional networking’ and you’ll get articles on online networking groups.
You have to dig a little deeper for networking in its traditional sense: face to face meeting and conversation.
It’s a sign of the times of course, you can Facebook anywhere and anytime pretty much and keep your various personal and special interest networks ticking over and that’s all good.
But if you are talking about careers and business opportunities you can’t beat the face to face. As human beings we want to connect and feel part of something, and we need that personal contact to form relationships of trust.
Networking is a process, not an event, and it doesn’t mean you are all of a sudden trying to sell something or get turned in a commodity. At its best it’s a slow-burn thing- a mutually rewarding professional relationship. Like any relationship it takes time to get to know someone, gain trust and understanding and when the times right something may come of it.
People want to do business, or work with, people they like and trust- that knowledge takes time to cultivate.
Our society is full of lots of smaller groups, whether they are based around where you study, work, interests, qualifications and often these ‘silos’ don’t get to meet or overlap. You may also start to find that over time the various groups have distinct internal cultures, maybe even a professional language, making forming common ground and exploring opportunities all the harder. Often groups are inward looking and miss what possibilities may exist outside their silo for growth, learning or expansion
Organisations like Schmooze create the environment for people from various walks of life to meet, what they make of that opportunity is then up to them.
Its very hard to talk to a complete stranger normally, but a good networking event should make that easy- after all the people who turned up chose to come and want to meet new people- otherwise they’d be home watching TV or something!
Sometimes you network to learn, sometimes you are seeking opportunities, often you can just have a good time- that’s allowed! Just be clear about what you are trying to achieve and find the right environment and group that suits your goal. The contacts you cultivate now and maintain will be a real asset in your career- for its always been who you know that makes all the difference to success in any endeavour.
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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
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FINDING A networking 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.
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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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Networking Strategies
People will generally want to deal with people they know and trust- in the world of marketing and sales the power of word of mouth is well established. Networking is the most cost effective way to leverage information and to market expertise, products and services.
By building credibility one person at a time a person you can create ambassadors that will champion your message on you behalf. In a sense, networking is a form of insurance, both personally and professionally. The favours you pay forward now you can cash in times of need.
But too often the process of networking is left to chance, and people join the wrong networks or attend the wrong events for who they want to meet. Also - its vital that your networking activity is align to your business goals and plans, not left to its own devices!
Without a strategy with some clearly defined goals and a timeline to go with that, you are liable to misplace your investment in time, effort and money.
So upfront you need a game plan before anything else:
Key Networking Steps
- What are your networking goals and what strategy will you might employ to achieve them. How can you get there?
- Conduct a networking contact audit: Ask yourself, who do you know? What or who do they know? Determine their potential relevance to your goals and ask yourself ‘do they know what you know?’
- Identify what other networks and contacts there are that might serve your goals and conduct research on them, ask around for different perspectives to determine their potential value.
- Subscribe to several email lists to receive event invites, sample a range of events and then determine which networks you will invest in long term.
- Join up, become a regular and start the process of cultivating your contacts, raising your profile and take opportunities to contribute to the networks success- keep your momentum up.
- Determine which networks and contacts you will invest your efforts into and get busy!
- Continually review the value of your contacts, keep the momentum up and invest in them accordingly, cultivate your contacts, keep you ears and eyes open for opportunities! Remember to ‘pay it forward’.
- Review your successes against your goals and adjust your strategies accordingly- give it time to pay off.
Its vital that you should establish a clear idea about why you are networking and your objectives: is it for a promotion, access, intelligence, profile, marketing or building up a database of contacts?
Examples of Strategic Approaches
The Portfolio
- This strategy is to cultivate contacts across a wide range of sectors, including key ones like the media, professional associations, government etc.
- By developing a wide-ranging database you are establishing a long term asset you can tap into when required and ensure that as many people know about you and expertise.
- The downside of this method is that its harder to have lots of high-value contacts and to maintain them all.
In-Depth
- This strategy is useful for a particular project (eg a tender), research, or if a particular organisations or sector is very important to you.
- Your activity is targeted at developing multiple contacts and raising your profile within a defined sector or organisation.
- This strategy is also useful when looking for a job!
- With this strategy you are seeking multiple contacts within the same organisation or sector and ideally, some high value contacts or champions.
- A champion is someone who can spread the word about your expertise and boosts your reputation and that of your organisation.
Virtual
- ‘E’ or virtual-networking will never replace human interaction, but there are several internet based networking options that provide both an active and passive means to network.
- Websites such as LinkedIn, facebook etc provide the means to connect virtually with existing or potential contacts globally, promote your expertise and keep up to date with changes in their contact details.
- Its also very useful in doing background research on contacts, comments on others experiences of groups and of course to promote your expertise such as a blog, e-newsletter or wiki that provides an insight or demonstrates your expertise.
- Schedule regular cycles of contact for certain contacts depending on their value in your calendar as recurring events. For example, a high value or ‘hot’ contacts a month- face to face coffee or meeting, other contacts you can send an email or text or call every couple of months
- Keep a record of your information on each contact and your activity in your database or Outlook contacts.
Some final tips to think about
- Determine the value of your contact early on- don't waste your time or theirs, and certainly don’t hit on a contact for information until you are confident that you have a good working relationship- certainly not on the first meeting.
- Aim to develop multiple 'touch-points' (aka contacts) within an organisation, so research your contacts and networks, so aim to find the key networkers within an organisation or a network build a relationship and they can network on your behalf.
- Organisational charts only tell you so much, aim to find the real people ‘gateways’ or decision makers in an organisation.
- Determine how much time, money and effort you are prepared to invest in your strategy and be patient. Give the strategy time to take effect it takes time to build trust and confidence.
- Be open minded, if someone comes to you with an idea, see how it can fit into your plans and goals, and maybe a win-win can come out of it.
Next time…more strategies and tips
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