There’s a more natural type of business networking – you can try it today.
I’m told that some people are born to be successful networkers. This guy swore he wasn’t yet he got exactly what he needed by asking questions. How can you ensure you get the results you want?
My mate in IT was working at a hedge fund where everyone was confused by the fact that the network settings kept falling away after they had been reset. The non technical explanation is that the computers would not work properly.
After much frustration he decided to take a break, clear his mind and think of a way to get to the bottom of the problem – so he decided on a cigarette. Like most reputation conscious businesses there was no room to smoke on the front steps so he decided to take a walk around the building.
It was a beautiful day and he noticed quite a few people up on a first floor area that looked lush with greenery. He fancied taking a look and asked a fellow “smoker” how to get up there. The reply was “you probably don’t want to mate – what with the electricity substation underneath”.
Eureka!
Armed with that knowledge he stubbed his cigarette out, waltzed back in the building and proceeded to act like he had the right to wear his underpants outside of his trousers. Fixing the network once and for all and providing an answer that swept through the building like wildfire. The problem was that the substation was responsible for some form of “magnetizing” of the IT system. Please don’t ask me to explain because I won’t be able to.
Smoking and networking, my mate tells me “smetworking” was an accident yet felt OK because he had something in common (rapport) with the other “smoker”. The hedge fund was so impressed he could have asked to be introduced to everyone else in the building and they would have been happy to help. A missed opportunity perhaps?
The moral of this story? Business networking is about finding useful information and contacts that help you or others. You will not be able to do that unless you are regularly asking people questions to see what they want in order to build rapport. And don’t forget to ask for something when the opportunity arises. Then you can become “a natural”.
Wrap up; It’s not about smoking or telling people what their problem is and hoping they choose you to fix it. It’s about finding ways to help others. When you are able to help, ask for help in return. Then follow up.
Todays tip; Don’t take up smoking, resolve to ask 20 more questions per week, that’s four per day.
Beyond Networking is a networking results company. It will take five minutes to determine if anything they do will save you time and effort when networking.
Sign up to our RSS at the top right of the page to receive details of events and promotions that could help you or your network improve results.
Thanks in advance for your promotion of my blog to others. I believe the information I provide is of great value so please let me know if you feel differently. There’s very little self promotion in the blog so please forgive this short and honest promotion of my stuff.
The sharing of this quality information is to give you an inkling of the things I can help you with. To find out if anything I do will save you time and effort with very little risk click here to learn more. In return I promise not to try and sell you anything you don’t want and improve your networkingresults.
i absolutely adore all your writing style, very useful,
don’t quit as well as keep posting considering it simply just good worth to look through it,
looking forward to looked over a lot more of your current well written articles, regards
Hi,
Thanks for your feedback, I like to keep it simple. Networking is easy so there’s no need to complicate it.
Take care,
Jason
Pingback: Discover 3 quick and easy ways to win at business networking events « Business Networking
Wonderfully explained about networking.”smetworking” the new coined word with followed caution and advice not take up smoking is brilliant! One need to give and also need to ask specifially is the way to move ahead.
I can certainly share this with similarly interested group.
Keep adding such interesting pieces of information with sane style.
Regards,
Narendra
Hi Narendra, my favourite coined phrase is “notworking”. I use it to describe what happens when people are sent to networking events yet are unmotivated, perhaps because they were not given any tools, tips or training and don’t know what they can achieve with a bit of planning. After overcoming their initial fears of meeting “strangers” they tend to settle down and enjoy themselves when networking. Yet they may forever be notworking – which is networking without results.
Great blog Jason – although, half way through I thought I’d have to take up smoking again to inprove my networking skills. I’m glad you clarified that you don’t within ‘Today’s Tip’. lol
What underpins it all is what you also state in your response above – keeping it simple. A simple, but incredibly important point itself.
The other key aspect is to ask people, “How can I help you?” Although a simple question, I find that it’s sadly a question that is rarely posed by people – myself included and it is something I’m now consciously working on. Please try it, it’s amazing what comes back in return. It certainly helps set you apart from the others – especially your competitors!
Regards,
John
Twitter: @networkerplus
Hi John, I was lucky enough to present at the IOD last week and carried out a poll of members beforehand to research what they wanted to know more about. There were some interesting results especially when you select different ways to filter them. Take a look here:
http://polls.linkedin.com/p/77442/bczcl
I’ll release an article shortly revealing my top tips for working a room because that was the most requested answer in the poll. You’ll be pleased to know it’s all about asking 5 simple and friendly questions that help you help others.
Meanhwile, I hope you like today’s tip; when you’re asking how can I help you, add a specific into the question. E.g. “How can I help you get what you came to this event for?” or “would you like to know more about events like this?”. You can even come up with your own variations – the more creative you are the less you have to persuade people that you are different.
Take care,
Jason
Great article , short and sharp with good info. Thank you!
Hi Dorothy, thanks for your kind words. Sign up to the RSS feed – top right of the blog page – for regular updates.
i actually adore all your writing style, very interesting,
don’t quit as well as keep writing considering it just nicely to look through it,
impatient to see more of your own articles, have a great day!
That is a great example of taking a step back and asking the right questions. I like all the tips in your other articles on this blog too…
Thanks for your kind words. I took a step back and found the person I assumed had provided me with the most profitable introductions actually hadn’t. I now regularly check where the profitable introductions come from. The most important word here is profitable.
So, if someone is struggling to tell you who they want to be introduced to ask them to describe their most profitable client. If you’ve only just met them, you might want to ensure they feel comfortable sharing by adding “there’s no need to name them, an outline is fine”.