CENTER POINT
THE CENTER FOR SELF-CHANGE NEWSLETTER

Vol. 4, No. 10 - October, 2010

HOW TO MAKE NETWORKING WORK FOR YOU

J. Kingston Cowart
. "The Change Maker"

Have you ever exchanged cards at a networking event?

Did you get a new client or a job that way?

If so, it was not the result of your networking skills—because you were not actually networking.

You were contacting. Networking only happens after contacting has occurred.

The following seven tips can help you excel at networking. Use them to make networking work for you.

   1. Networking is not contacting. So-called networking events are not for networking. They are for contacting and introducing yourself to people with whom you want to network later.

   2. Do your research. Before you go anywhere, take time to find out who else will be there. You can get a lot of information from the event registrar. Decide on a few whom you want to contact. Do some Internet research to find out some important things about each of them and their companies.

   3. Make yourself memorable. Say something that means something. Ask a thoughtful question. Mention a mutual acquaintance. Refer to something your contactee said or wrote, or a recent accomplishment—whether his own or her company's. Say your name twice: first when you introduce yourself, "Hello, I'm Terry Smith and I've been looking forward to meeting you"; and then again when you move on, "I hope we'll have a chance to meet again. In case we do, my name is Terry Smith." Give your card. Then move on. Each contact should take only a few minutes.

   4. Be the first to call. When you want to network with people, be sure to call them before they forget you. When you call, say your name and then remind them of what it was you said to make yourself memorable.

   5. Networking is a relationship. In healthy relationships each partner works to promote the best interests of the other. You are only networking when you are helping your networking partner to succeed. Make yourself useful right from the first call, perhaps by bringing new information to light. Later, introduce your networking partner to prospective clients, recommend a great vendor, help with social or civic projects he or she is interested in. Be useful. Then your partner will naturally want to help you.

   6. Be careful. Because networking is a relationship, be careful whom you select as a networking partner. After all, you are choosing someone with whom you hope to have a relatively personal ongoing interaction

   7. Relationships take time. Don't expect immediate rewards. Although it sometimes it works that way, it usually doesn't. Networking involves mutual trust, which takes time to develop. Once the networking bond is established, however, it will be of lasting mutual benefit throughout your entire career.

But how do you get started in the first place?

Isn't there a whole lot more to the contacting part?

Yes, there is and Mindy Selinger has written an excellent book, Face-to-Face Networking Skills In A Social Media World, which will tell you all about it.

You can order the book at http://facetofacenetworkingbook.com for only 13.95—or simply download the first 26 pages for free.

By the way, I met Mindy at an SDSU Business Alumni Network event in 2007.*

Since then she has helped us promote many other events on her website http://networkingeventfinders.com.

Now I telling you about her book.

That's one way networking works for me.

          *Full disclosure: I am currently president of the BAN.

J. Kingston Cowart

 JOIN THE CENTER CIRCLE

It's easy. Every Wednesday
for a few minutes between
10:00 and Noon sit down and
turn inward - through prayer,
meditation, self-hypnosis or
any modality you choose -
and send out good thoughts
to everyone else in the circle.

I'll be there. How about you?

J. Kingston Cowart
619.561.9012
Post Office Box 19005
San Diego CA 92159
jkcowart@self-change.com

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