by Pete Machalek
In this day and age, there are so many people talking about the necessity of networking, that sometimes the question of WHY we network falls by the wayside.
But it’s so crucial, I thought I’d address it head-on. We need to know WHY we’re networking if we want to make the most of it.
We network to be known, by as many people as possible, and to be known as a source of value.
If you’re unknown, you’re up a creek when you lose your job, or when you need help, or when you’re looking to take a next step in your career, or when you’re looking to take your team or your business or your ideas to the next level.
If you’re unknown, the job of moving forward is HUGE, because you have to start from zero and you have no momentum.
In our BE CONNECTED events (next one coming up this Monday the 21st), we recommend that you network. Network anywhere and everywhere, but most specially network in the community that you want to be known in. Build relationships, and build them by offering your help. Start conversations with an ear for what people are looking for, so you can provide them with help, one way or another.
Become known as a source of value.
Do it inside of the organization you’re with, if you’re with an organization. Do it inside of the field you’re looking to move forward in. BE the value that you know you represent.
The good news is that you can start from zero and gain momentum enough to make a difference for yourself quickly. After just a couple of weeks of meeting and helping as many people as you can inside of a target community, you’ll build a reputation — the kind of reputation that you WANT to have, that will get your name around, associated with the kind of value you have to offer. The kind that people want, that they are willing to invest in to retain.
And once you have the momentum, KEEP IT UP! So many of us stop networking after we get hired because we feel like we don’t need it anymore, now that we’re safely and securely employed.
This concept of being “safety and securely employed” is finally falling by the wayside. The truth is, it was never a terribly accurate or useful concept to begin with, and painful as it may be, it’s best for us to shed it entirely. When we get rid of it, we recognize AGAIN how useful constant networking is. Because we’re ALWAYS going to benefit from it. When we get to a point where we no longer “need” to network, we have more luxury to be risk-takers, which increases our ability to network.
Even more good news is that networking constantly forever is so much easier than starting and stopping, starting and stopping. It gives you a consistent reputation, and a constantly growing one. Network all the time, everywhere you go, with everybody you talk to. Help everyone you can, every way you know how, using your network.
And by the way, when you’re networking this way, networking by helping, there is absolutely NO CONFLICT around networking when you’re already with a company. Many of us stop networking when we get employed because we don’t want to accidentally give our company the impression that we’re looking for career possibilities outside of the company.
But companies WANT employees who are hungry for more, who are on a trajectory upward. Companies WANT to know what their people are after so they know what kind of carrots to use to motivate them.
And they WANT employees to network. Because they know it’s not just your reputation you’re building, it’s theirs. They want you out there spreading the gospel about who you are and what you do, and who you do it for. What’s good for you is good for them.
So, why network? Because you’re helping EVERYONE when you do — Yourself, the organization you’re with, and the people that you’re talking to. You’re building your reputation, you’re promoting yourself and your value, you’re building relationships that will propel you and your business forward and will serve as a support system if and when you need it.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and do it!
Let us know what you think about this. What are your experiences around networking? How do you network? Where do you go? Who do you want to help?
Networking, Selling, Public Speaking, Pitching, Interviewing, Leading…
by Pete Machalek, resident communication specialist
I had a great experience today, leading BE CONNECTED in Hutchinson, Minnesota.
I was working with a group of people representing a variety of organizations, and at the end of the session, I opened the conversation up to Q&A, and experienced a bit of a surprise when people started asking questions about how to network with co-workers when they can’t seem to stop complaining about a problem they’re experiencing at work. And about how to network with upper management to make a positive impact on them. And how to make other people really listen to them.
It was a bit of a surprise to me because usually at BE CONNECTED, the attendees are thinking of networking in a very focused way. They’re thinking about networking as those conversations we feel like we need to have to build awareness of and appreciation for the businesses we represent. I often want to widen their focus so that they think of networking more broadly.
But these folks were already there. They were thinking of networking as any interaction, any presentation, to anybody in a business context. They were asking questions that normally come up in WINNING PRESENCE UNDER PRESSURE, our workshop that builds confident and influential presence in any environment, to win over even the most challenging audiences.
They were recognizing the great universal consistencies that run through all of our make-or-break communications, every challenge we face when it comes to wanting to make a particular difference on a particular person or group.
The experience was a wonderful confirmation of what we at SagePresence have been saying for years: That communication challenges are consistent from venue to venue, and their solutions are as well. Too often we trick ourselves into thinking that, when circumstances change, the rules change too, but this is a horrible mistake to make.
What works, works. What wins people over, wins them over — whether we’re networking, selling, public speaking, pitching, interviewing, or leading.
Maybe what this can leave us with is that we all know more than we think we do. We’re all good at communicating with somebody in some venue. So what we need to do is recognize what we’re doing so right in that venue, and bring it into others, particularly the ones that we have the most questions about.
What do you think of this? What venues do you worry have completely different rules from the venues you’re comfortable in? Share your feedback below!