Networking 101

One of the most effective ways to build your business is to network face to face. And yet, many small business owners will say, “I’m no good at networking” or “I don’t have time to network.”

What is networking? Really, at its simplest level, it is sharing information and making connections. You share what you have to offer and what you’re looking for, and the other party does the same. The critical piece comes with the follow-through: staying in touch with those new contacts and connecting them with valuable resources from your network.

I believe networking events are so important, I try to average about one per week. Yes, this is a significant time commitment, usually 2-3 hours per event including prep time and driving. But I consider it time well spent. At these events I meet people who might need a small business coach, people who can refer me to people who might need me, and people who have something of value to offer. And I make connections that can help support my business and my clients’ businesses.

To keep things fun, I set goals before each event. This past week, I went to a networking group’s lunch meeting for the first time. Not knowing how many people would attend, I set a modest goal to make five new connections, identify one potential new client, meet one possible project partner and find something of value to share with an existing customer. In fact, I made nine new connections, identified one likely new client, met two possible partners and discovered information about a trade association that will be helpful for one of my clients.

The hardest thing about networking is just making the commitment to do it. Schedule yourself to attend a networking event in the next two weeks, and follow up with the contacts you make there. Then repeat… over and over again. It may take some time, but you’ll reap the rewards of those connections.