Marketing yourself through networking
is essential for ongoing career and professional success. Here are
seven ways to maximize the value of professional networking meetings.
1. Be Strategic
about Which Meetings You Attend
Networking in the wrong places won't help you
or your career contacts. When deciding which networking groups
to join, consider how much time is actually available to
network. Some professional groups have very few, if any,
committees and don't allow time for networking. Avoid these
meetings.
Three types of professional networking groups offer different benefits:
• Join a group that will enable you
to keep abreast of the latest developments in your field.
• Join a career networking group that will enable you to learn more about
self-marketing, interviewing, and making a successful transition.
• Join a group that will allow you to interact with prospective employers
and clients.
2. Become Active
It is much better to be active in one professional association
then to periodically attend meetings of five or ten. Once
you become active, people in the association get to know
who you are and what you do. It takes time for people to
recognize you, view you as a colleague rather than a stranger,
and trust you.
Volunteer to serve on a committee or the Board. Try to get
involved in activities that will enable you to interact with
others. For example, it makes much more sense to join the
membership committee then to volunteer to go off on your
own and re-write the association's by-laws. Get to know the
movers and shakers. Each association has a few key people
who know everybody else and can make things happen.
3. Attend Meetings with the
Right Mindset
You can spot a naïve networker from across the room.
They come to networking meetings with a desperate mind set
of "how can I get referrals and a new job." They
spend the meeting darting from conversation to conversation
passing out their business cards to everyone and saying things
like, "let me know if you hear of anybody who needs
my services," and "call me if you hear of anything
for me." This approach not only doesn't work, it's a
big turnoff to others. They have not yet earned the respect
of people to warrant referrals.
Instead, it is better to come to networking meetings with
the mindset of, "how can I help others at the meeting," or "I
would like to meet at least one person tonight who I can
meet with one-on-one," or "I am really curious
about what others at this meeting do for a living." There
are many ways you can help others. You can provide introductions;
recommend books or web sites; provide information about people,
companies, or trends; or simply listen and offer emotional
support.
4. Ask Questions
Instead of worrying about what you will say to others about
yourself and your business, focus instead on asking questions.
There is no greater compliment you can bestow on someone
than to ask them about themselves. Simple open-ended questions
are best such as, "Tell me what you do for a living," or "What
challenges is your business facing these days?" This
can be a great way to start and maintain meaningful conversations.
Come to the meeting with an inquisitive attitude.
5. Come Early and Stay Late
Inexperienced networkers come to meetings late and leave
as soon as the speaker has finished. The best opportunities
for networking are before the start of the formal program
and immediately after the program. If you come only to listen
to the speaker, you are missing out on much of the value
the meeting can provide.
6. Follow-up Immediately
Does this ever happen to you? You meet someone at a professional
meeting, exchange business cards, suggest that you follow-up
with each other, and then nothing happens. You go back to
your office, put their card near the phone, but never make
the call. Two weeks later you look at the card and say to
yourself, "Who is that person?"
It is important to follow-up immediately while the person
and the conversation are fresh in both your minds.
7. Don’t Try to Sell
Selling at professional meetings is usually inappropriate.
Instead, use the meeting as an opportunity to develop a relationship
and schedule a meeting for a later date.
In Conclusion
As an executive, your professional network is one of your
most valuable assets. Professional networking meetings are
one of the best ways to continually revitalize and grow your
network. But if you attend meetings without a clear strategy
for maximizing their value, you may end up as a wall-flower,
merely watching other people network and wondering why you
gave up the time in the first place.
Bruce Katcher is
an Industrial/Organizational psychologist and president
of Discovery Surveys, Inc. He can be reached at BKatcher@DiscoverySurveys.com.
Copyright © Bruce
Katcher
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