Networking is a vital component of a successful career in sales. However, many people make networking mistakes that prevent them from achieving their desired results. Here are 10 sales networking mistakes you need to avoid.
By Kelley Robertson
Networking is a critical skill sales people; after all, the more people you connect with the more you sales opportunities you create. However, many sales people make a variety of mistakes that prevent them from maximizing the power of networking. Here are ten blunders and mistakes you need to avoid.
1. Attending the wrong networking events. When I first started my business I attended as many local networking events as I could fit into my schedule. However, I quickly noticed that I encountered the same people at these events—other small business owners out looking for business. These people were not my target market and very few of them interacted with the type of decision-maker I usually worked with so I realized that I was going to the wrong events. Get the most from your networking opportunities by showing up at events that your prospects attend.
2. Waiting for people to introduce themselves. Let’s face it; the vast majority of people are reluctant or hesitant to approach strangers. However, if you take the initiative to introduce yourself to others you will be perceived as a person of authority and power. Not to mention that the other person will be relieved that they didn’t have to make the first approach.
3. Spending too much time talking. One of the most fatal mistakes is to dominate the conversation. If you truly want to make a great impression, limit the amount you talk to no more than 40 percent of the airtime. Remember, networking events are not the appropriate setting to sell your solution. However, they are perfect situations to uncover potential sales opportunities.
4. Failing to ask other people questions. The most effective way to create a connection with someone is to ask them questions about their business and what they do. Ask them about the challenges they face and what they enjoy most about their work. High-value questions encourage people to share information and help you position yourself as an expert and a great networker.
5. Becoming distracted by other people. Have you ever had a conversation with someone who constantly watched the room instead of paying attention to what you were saying? If so, you likely felt ignored and unimportant. I also suspect that you would not refer business to that person. Don’t make the same mistake. Pay close attention to every person you meet and learn how you might be able to help them.
6. Focusing on your self-interest. This follows the last point. If you make the effort to find out how you can help someone else, the chances are they will reciprocate. In the words of motivational guru, Zig Ziglar, “You can anything you want in life if you just are willing to help enough other people get what they want.”
7. Failing to articulate your value proposition. I once spoke with a small business owner at a networking event and after a 20 minute conversation I still had no idea what she did because she was unable to clearly articulate the purpose of her company and her ideal client.
8. Failing to establish a connection. Effective networking means connecting with people. Although you will not connect with everyone you meet, you can improve your results by making great eye contact, smiling, asking questions, and showing interest in the other person.
9. Executing the “meet & move” strategy. We’ve all encountered the person at a networking event who introduces themselves, gives you their business card, asks for yours in return, and immediately moves on to repeat the process with another victim. You get much better results by connecting with a small number of people rather than trying to meet as many people as you can.
10. Failing to follow-up afterwards. Post-event follow-up is critical. However, don’t make the mistake of calling someone three months after a networking meeting and saying something like, “We met a few months ago and I thought I’d touch base with you.” This approach simply does not add any type of value to the relationship. Here two follow-up strategies to consider:
- When you meet a potential customer, arrange to contact them shortly after the event. Mark it in your calendar and make sure you contact them on the agreed-upon day and time.
- After you meet someone who is NOT a prospect, look for opportunities to refer business to them. You can also help them by sending articles or information related to their business.
Networking effectively can have a dramatic impact on your sales providing it is done correctly. Avoid these fatal networking mistakes and improve your results.
Get your FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to Kelley's free newsletter, "59 Seconds to Sales Success" at http://www.Fearless-Selling.ca. Kelley Robertson conducts sales training programs and speaks on sales at conferences and meetings. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca.
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
First Law Of Networking: Scratch My Back And I'll Scratch Yours
The law of reciprocity says that after you do something for me I will feel obligated to pay you back. Say hello and I answer you back. Ask me how I feel and I respond in kind. Hold a door for me to enter and I will thank you and be more inclined to hold it for the next person. This is the most important principle of networking.
By George Torok
The law of reciprocity says that after you do something for me I will feel obligated to pay you back. Say hello and I answer you back. Ask me how I feel and I respond in kind. Hold a door for me to enter and I will thank you and be more inclined to hold it for the next person. This is the most important principle of networking.
Give me a business lead and I’ll start thinking about who I can refer to you. That’s the fundamental principle of business networking.
You can apply this law in two ways. You could wait for someone to do you a favor. After they do, you can pay them back. That makes you even. But is your goal to be even?
I suggest that in networking your goal is to be uneven. Not only uneven but to keep increasing the balance of what is owed to you. Every time that you do a favor for someone in your network you write an IOU. They owe you a favor. This is like building your bank account.
Build your bank account of IOUs by doing favors for others in your network. The more favors you hand out, the more people will feel obligated to pay you back. Not everyone will pay you back. Don’t worry about that. Instead realize that if you give out nothing till you get something you might never be out of pocket and your bank account will be zero.
Your networking bank account grows by the number of favors that others owe you. Keep depositing into this bank account because some will pay you back and some will pay back with interest.
How can you use your time wisely so you get the best return on your investment?
Imagine that you attended a networking event, walked around the room and gave everyone a dollar. You told them the dollar is a gift. You told each person that they can keep the dollar as long as they want. If fact they don’t need to return it because it was a gift. If they wish to they are welcome to give the money back to you with or without interest.
That would probably freak a lot of people out. Some would return the money. Some would keep it.
But consider the obligations and goodwill that you would build with every dollar you gave away. The main limitation on you would be your supply of dollars.
Now imagine a similar scenario but instead of giving away dollars you gave away favors - leads, referrals, introductions, advice and news. Now the limitation on investment is removed. You can give an almost unlimited number of favors. The only limitation is in using your time wisely.
Instead of giving out dollars, give more favors and watch your networking bank account and business grow.
Business networking works on the principle that if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Get out there and scratch more backs.
© George Torok is the author of "Your Guide to Networking Success". Discover how to build a more profitable network in 30 days at http://www.powermarketing.ca/networking_success.html Find more free networking tips at http://www.Business-Networking-Tips.net To arrange for George Torok to speak to your conference or business team call 905-335-1997
By George Torok
The law of reciprocity says that after you do something for me I will feel obligated to pay you back. Say hello and I answer you back. Ask me how I feel and I respond in kind. Hold a door for me to enter and I will thank you and be more inclined to hold it for the next person. This is the most important principle of networking.
Give me a business lead and I’ll start thinking about who I can refer to you. That’s the fundamental principle of business networking.
You can apply this law in two ways. You could wait for someone to do you a favor. After they do, you can pay them back. That makes you even. But is your goal to be even?
I suggest that in networking your goal is to be uneven. Not only uneven but to keep increasing the balance of what is owed to you. Every time that you do a favor for someone in your network you write an IOU. They owe you a favor. This is like building your bank account.
Build your bank account of IOUs by doing favors for others in your network. The more favors you hand out, the more people will feel obligated to pay you back. Not everyone will pay you back. Don’t worry about that. Instead realize that if you give out nothing till you get something you might never be out of pocket and your bank account will be zero.
Your networking bank account grows by the number of favors that others owe you. Keep depositing into this bank account because some will pay you back and some will pay back with interest.
How can you use your time wisely so you get the best return on your investment?
Imagine that you attended a networking event, walked around the room and gave everyone a dollar. You told them the dollar is a gift. You told each person that they can keep the dollar as long as they want. If fact they don’t need to return it because it was a gift. If they wish to they are welcome to give the money back to you with or without interest.
That would probably freak a lot of people out. Some would return the money. Some would keep it.
But consider the obligations and goodwill that you would build with every dollar you gave away. The main limitation on you would be your supply of dollars.
Now imagine a similar scenario but instead of giving away dollars you gave away favors - leads, referrals, introductions, advice and news. Now the limitation on investment is removed. You can give an almost unlimited number of favors. The only limitation is in using your time wisely.
Instead of giving out dollars, give more favors and watch your networking bank account and business grow.
Business networking works on the principle that if you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Get out there and scratch more backs.
© George Torok is the author of "Your Guide to Networking Success". Discover how to build a more profitable network in 30 days at http://www.powermarketing.ca/networking_success.html Find more free networking tips at http://www.Business-Networking-Tips.net To arrange for George Torok to speak to your conference or business team call 905-335-1997
Monday, May 3, 2010
Networking Strategies For Busy Business Owners
The average business owners realize that they need to network, but they don't know how to get started. After learning a couple quick tips, it is easy to jump out there and get noticed!
By Cori Chaffee
Networking is perhaps the single-most important thing you can do for the success of your business. Most people understand that they need to ‘network’, but the idea confuses them. They aren’t sure exactly how to go about it. So, let’s take a look at the concept!
To get started, you will need to narrow down your target customer. You cannot effectively market to everyone and you can’t effectively network with everyone, either. Decide who your target market is, then determine where you best reach them. For instance, if you are a hair stylist with a small salon in your home, your target customer will most likely be women. (Yes, I know, you are fully qualified to cut men and children’s hair, too. But think about it… if you can get the woman of the house to come in to your shop, it is likely that she will bring her children and husband, too! ). So, you would focus on capturing the attention of women. Consider these questions: Where do women go, what do they do, what do they like? The answers will tell you where to market.
Next, after determining your target client, you need to establish your networks. The average person, given a choice, will go with the person that he/she knows and trusts. This means, you’ve got to put yourself in the position where he/she knows and trusts you! Get involved! Join the networks and civic clubs that your target client will be in. If you are a hair stylist with women as your clients, google women’s associations in your area. Contact your Chamber of Commerce. You will want to be a member, of course, but they also might have great ideas on effective networks for you to operate in.
The next step is to really be involved in these groups. It is not enough to simply be a member and be listed in their directories. This is the most common mistake that people make. They feel it is sufficient to simply be listed in directories. Um, no. There is no way that people can get to know you by reading your name on a list! The goal here is to become known and trusted, remember? The ONLY way to do this, is to become personally involved. You have to put yourself in front of people.
Consider everyone that comes into contact with you as a potential client or an acquaintance of a potential client. Why? Because you never know when someone will refer you to someone else who needs your services. Position yourself so that YOU are the person who jumps into their mind when someone else asks them “Do you know anyone who _____?” This is why you should treat everyone as a potential client.
Another thing you can do is to set up networks with people in complimentary businesses. For instance, if you are hair stylist, set up networks with people like florists. Agree to refer people back and forth. Why a florist, you ask? Because florists and hair stylists are both necessary for weddings. You have to always think outside of the box, and consider every angle of your marketing strategy. I realize that many people don’t like to speak in public. Not many people truly enjoy it, but the fact is, it is a necessary part of life, particularly when you own a business. Contact your local associations (the ones that you have already targeted), in addition to libraries and industry associations and get scheduled to speak at their meetings. You need for people to see you, learn about your business and see firsthand what type of person you are.
Write articles, just as I am doing now. Don’t focus on writing specifically about your industry and the services that you provide, but write helpful articles about issues that your potential clients face. Showcase your expertise by offering helpful solutions for these issues. If you are a hairstylist, write articles about how to avoid split-ends and the most becoming hair styles for different face shapes. Submit your articles to online publications, along with not only your name but your company’s website. The goal is to direct traffic to you and your services.
If your industry has trade shows, participate. Also participate in trade shows for complementary fields. For instance, hair stylists would want to participate in bridal expos. Don’t sit in your booth and play with your iPhone (although that is quite entertaining). Instead, speak to as many people as you can. Develop short relationships with people so that they remember who you are when they look at your card in the future.
As you can see, the only way to successfully network is to do it personally, do it often and never stop doing it. You are a business owner until you decide to close your business. Therefore, you will always be a marketer. Think like one! The importance of networking is proven in the business world. Dive in and make yourself known. It is the only way you will truly become successful.
Cori Chaffee is a female entrepreneur who owns a full-service virtual assistant company. The Perfect Admin, LLC offers a full-range of administrative services, from writing articles, editing and proof-reading to more complex marketing plans. Cori holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. To learn more, visit her at http://theperfectadmin.com
By Cori Chaffee
Networking is perhaps the single-most important thing you can do for the success of your business. Most people understand that they need to ‘network’, but the idea confuses them. They aren’t sure exactly how to go about it. So, let’s take a look at the concept!
To get started, you will need to narrow down your target customer. You cannot effectively market to everyone and you can’t effectively network with everyone, either. Decide who your target market is, then determine where you best reach them. For instance, if you are a hair stylist with a small salon in your home, your target customer will most likely be women. (Yes, I know, you are fully qualified to cut men and children’s hair, too. But think about it… if you can get the woman of the house to come in to your shop, it is likely that she will bring her children and husband, too! ). So, you would focus on capturing the attention of women. Consider these questions: Where do women go, what do they do, what do they like? The answers will tell you where to market.
Next, after determining your target client, you need to establish your networks. The average person, given a choice, will go with the person that he/she knows and trusts. This means, you’ve got to put yourself in the position where he/she knows and trusts you! Get involved! Join the networks and civic clubs that your target client will be in. If you are a hair stylist with women as your clients, google women’s associations in your area. Contact your Chamber of Commerce. You will want to be a member, of course, but they also might have great ideas on effective networks for you to operate in.
The next step is to really be involved in these groups. It is not enough to simply be a member and be listed in their directories. This is the most common mistake that people make. They feel it is sufficient to simply be listed in directories. Um, no. There is no way that people can get to know you by reading your name on a list! The goal here is to become known and trusted, remember? The ONLY way to do this, is to become personally involved. You have to put yourself in front of people.
Consider everyone that comes into contact with you as a potential client or an acquaintance of a potential client. Why? Because you never know when someone will refer you to someone else who needs your services. Position yourself so that YOU are the person who jumps into their mind when someone else asks them “Do you know anyone who _____?” This is why you should treat everyone as a potential client.
Another thing you can do is to set up networks with people in complimentary businesses. For instance, if you are hair stylist, set up networks with people like florists. Agree to refer people back and forth. Why a florist, you ask? Because florists and hair stylists are both necessary for weddings. You have to always think outside of the box, and consider every angle of your marketing strategy. I realize that many people don’t like to speak in public. Not many people truly enjoy it, but the fact is, it is a necessary part of life, particularly when you own a business. Contact your local associations (the ones that you have already targeted), in addition to libraries and industry associations and get scheduled to speak at their meetings. You need for people to see you, learn about your business and see firsthand what type of person you are.
Write articles, just as I am doing now. Don’t focus on writing specifically about your industry and the services that you provide, but write helpful articles about issues that your potential clients face. Showcase your expertise by offering helpful solutions for these issues. If you are a hairstylist, write articles about how to avoid split-ends and the most becoming hair styles for different face shapes. Submit your articles to online publications, along with not only your name but your company’s website. The goal is to direct traffic to you and your services.
If your industry has trade shows, participate. Also participate in trade shows for complementary fields. For instance, hair stylists would want to participate in bridal expos. Don’t sit in your booth and play with your iPhone (although that is quite entertaining). Instead, speak to as many people as you can. Develop short relationships with people so that they remember who you are when they look at your card in the future.
As you can see, the only way to successfully network is to do it personally, do it often and never stop doing it. You are a business owner until you decide to close your business. Therefore, you will always be a marketer. Think like one! The importance of networking is proven in the business world. Dive in and make yourself known. It is the only way you will truly become successful.
Cori Chaffee is a female entrepreneur who owns a full-service virtual assistant company. The Perfect Admin, LLC offers a full-range of administrative services, from writing articles, editing and proof-reading to more complex marketing plans. Cori holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. To learn more, visit her at http://theperfectadmin.com
Monday, April 26, 2010
Think About Networking In A NEW WAY
If networking isn't about collecting business cards, then what is it?
By Marsha Egan
Instead of thinking about a network, let’s envision a net.
If you place yourself at the center of this net, you can see how your direct links, or connections, extends outward. And each of those links extend outward as well. Yet they are all interconnected. This is what we want our net to look like, and even more, to “work.”
I meet too many entrepreneurs and business people who believe or act as though their selling efforts are all direct one on one transactions with their prospects and customers. What they don’t realize is that when they build a network, much of the selling and prospecting can actually be done by other people. A network helps you multiply yourself.
In my networking workshops, I ask the question, “ How many friends and acquaintances, conservatively, do you think you have?” The answer usually ranges between 200 and 500. My next question is, “How many people do you think each of those people know?” Then we do the math. Conservatively, if each of these people knows only 200 people, that person is “ connected” to 40,000 people, only one person removed! Just imagine the numbers with the second and third levels of connection!
So the first hurdle to overcome in building a network is to recognize how powerful connections can be. This is the very important people side of the business that many have a hard time acknowledging or understanding.
In any business, there are relationships to be built. These enable positive progress. We call these relationships a network. People’s careers rarely progress solely through individual work; there are usually several people involved in an individual’s successful career or business.
Many people cringe at the suggestion of “networking.” They feel that they may be building insincere relationships or compromising their true selves by rubbing shoulders with higher-ups in the organization. So, out of principle, some very capable people don’t network.
So, let’s set the record straight. Networking is not about collecting business cards. It is not about pretending to like someone that you aren’t. It is not about catering insincerely to a boss or potential clients.
Networking is about building reciprocal, synergistic relationships with people throughout your organization, your business community, and your life. It is caring about others’ progress more than you care about your own. It is establishing trustful, supportive bonds with people who share your goals, or your business goals.
The powerful side of building this network comes with your delivering excellent quality and service. As you build your network, and you provide great service, your network will start to work for you. People will talk to people. Satisfied clients will refer you to others. You are net will actually work.
So, when we look at networking as a sincere effort to build mutually beneficial relationships, it can actually be fun! When you take the focus off of yourself, and place it on others, your whole picture of building relationships can change. You become other directed, rather than selfish. You become caring rather than self—absorbed. You become interesting rather than boring. Doesn’t this sound better?
This approach puts a different focus or in how you can build and enjoy your networks. Instead of collecting as many business cards as you can, and writing the obligatory mail merge letter the next day, you can give yourself permission to have one or two more lengthy, other-focused conversations with people at a networking event.
“Other focused” is a key word in this equation. Many people make the error of trying to get the person to know about their business, as their primary objective of the conversation. People see through this immediately. If you show a true interest in the other person, and avoid trying to talk about yourself in the first several minutes of the conversation, you will go a long way to building what can be a mutually beneficial relationship.
The reality is that the strong majority of people will turn around and ask you about your business, after you have shown a true interest in theirs. This is how reciprocal relationships are built.
One word of caution. Reciprocal relationships don’t necessarily mean immediate benefits. You’ve got to be patient. A network is built over years. One person at a time.
And the more sincere, and helpful you are, and the better quality you deliver, the more mutually beneficial (and and fun) your network will be. Yours will be a net that works!
Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC is CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., a Reading, PA based professional coaching firm. She is a certified executive coach and professional speaker, specializing in leadership development and can be reached at marsha@marshaegan.com or visit http://www.marshaegan.com .
By Marsha Egan
Instead of thinking about a network, let’s envision a net.
If you place yourself at the center of this net, you can see how your direct links, or connections, extends outward. And each of those links extend outward as well. Yet they are all interconnected. This is what we want our net to look like, and even more, to “work.”
I meet too many entrepreneurs and business people who believe or act as though their selling efforts are all direct one on one transactions with their prospects and customers. What they don’t realize is that when they build a network, much of the selling and prospecting can actually be done by other people. A network helps you multiply yourself.
In my networking workshops, I ask the question, “ How many friends and acquaintances, conservatively, do you think you have?” The answer usually ranges between 200 and 500. My next question is, “How many people do you think each of those people know?” Then we do the math. Conservatively, if each of these people knows only 200 people, that person is “ connected” to 40,000 people, only one person removed! Just imagine the numbers with the second and third levels of connection!
So the first hurdle to overcome in building a network is to recognize how powerful connections can be. This is the very important people side of the business that many have a hard time acknowledging or understanding.
In any business, there are relationships to be built. These enable positive progress. We call these relationships a network. People’s careers rarely progress solely through individual work; there are usually several people involved in an individual’s successful career or business.
Many people cringe at the suggestion of “networking.” They feel that they may be building insincere relationships or compromising their true selves by rubbing shoulders with higher-ups in the organization. So, out of principle, some very capable people don’t network.
So, let’s set the record straight. Networking is not about collecting business cards. It is not about pretending to like someone that you aren’t. It is not about catering insincerely to a boss or potential clients.
Networking is about building reciprocal, synergistic relationships with people throughout your organization, your business community, and your life. It is caring about others’ progress more than you care about your own. It is establishing trustful, supportive bonds with people who share your goals, or your business goals.
The powerful side of building this network comes with your delivering excellent quality and service. As you build your network, and you provide great service, your network will start to work for you. People will talk to people. Satisfied clients will refer you to others. You are net will actually work.
So, when we look at networking as a sincere effort to build mutually beneficial relationships, it can actually be fun! When you take the focus off of yourself, and place it on others, your whole picture of building relationships can change. You become other directed, rather than selfish. You become caring rather than self—absorbed. You become interesting rather than boring. Doesn’t this sound better?
This approach puts a different focus or in how you can build and enjoy your networks. Instead of collecting as many business cards as you can, and writing the obligatory mail merge letter the next day, you can give yourself permission to have one or two more lengthy, other-focused conversations with people at a networking event.
“Other focused” is a key word in this equation. Many people make the error of trying to get the person to know about their business, as their primary objective of the conversation. People see through this immediately. If you show a true interest in the other person, and avoid trying to talk about yourself in the first several minutes of the conversation, you will go a long way to building what can be a mutually beneficial relationship.
The reality is that the strong majority of people will turn around and ask you about your business, after you have shown a true interest in theirs. This is how reciprocal relationships are built.
One word of caution. Reciprocal relationships don’t necessarily mean immediate benefits. You’ve got to be patient. A network is built over years. One person at a time.
And the more sincere, and helpful you are, and the better quality you deliver, the more mutually beneficial (and and fun) your network will be. Yours will be a net that works!
Marsha Egan, CPCU, PCC is CEO of The Egan Group, Inc., a Reading, PA based professional coaching firm. She is a certified executive coach and professional speaker, specializing in leadership development and can be reached at marsha@marshaegan.com or visit http://www.marshaegan.com .
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Anchor Your Networking With Strong Relationships
Use strategic associations to keep your business afloat during economic storms.
By Ivan Misner
This summer, our family took a small-ship tour of the Great Barrier Reef near Australia. The first night we were on the ship, we noticed that the anchor used to secure our vessel in the middle of the Coral Sea was quite small compared to the size of the ship.
On the second night, very strong winds came up. Our captain started the engines and backed the ship up to let out more length of the chain connected to the anchor. Curious (and, I must admit, a bit concerned), I asked him how it was possible for such a small anchor to hold the ship in place with the winds blowing against it so strongly.
"It is the chain that is holding the ship, not the anchor," he informed me. After the anchor is lowered, the captain looks to the first mate, who signals from the prow the direction in which the chain is laying. The captain then maneuvers the ship into the right position and lets out the necessary amount of chain to hold the ship.
Well, I began to see how this dynamic was relevant to networking. The anchor of any good networking program is the system, the process of doing business through relationships. But it’s not the system or the process that has the strength--it’s the length of the chain (the relationships) holding the networking program in place!
As you take a look at the networking groups you may be participating in, think about the links, or relationships, you have formed with the individual members. How many links does your chain have? Do you have strong relationships with many of the other members of the group, or are you closely linked with a select few, but disconnected and detached from others?
So, how do you go about letting out more chain during times when the economic winds have strengthened against your businesses? I submit that it’s time to get serious about developing stronger relationships with each and every member of the networking groups you participate in. This includes people who you don’t think have the contacts you might want or perhaps are in a business that’s not exactly symbiotic with yours.
Have you ever thought to do one-on-ones with those people as well? Spend the time to do one-on-ones with each and every active member of your network--it helps you develop a longer and stronger chain. Think of each person in your network as one of the links that lengthen that chain.
The wisdom of laying more chain to strengthen the ability of the anchor to hold strong is critical for the success of your personal network.
Another important aspect of this anchoring process is watching the first mate. Look for networking organizations with leaders who are qualified to signal the direction the chain is lying as the dynamic in your group changes.
These organization leaders should be able to signal what adjustments need to be made to ensure your network is pointed in the right direction. At one point during our tour, the first mate literally dove into the water to loosen the chain where it had become hooked on a coral formation. You need qualified people in your personal network who are willing to dive in to help lead a network in the right direction.
Starting this week, try to make the development of your "relationship chain" within your personal network your primary focus. I guarantee those relationships will be what anchor your business and your networking efforts in the long run despite economic fluctuations. The old adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link is just as true for a ship as it is for a business network.
By Ivan Misner
This summer, our family took a small-ship tour of the Great Barrier Reef near Australia. The first night we were on the ship, we noticed that the anchor used to secure our vessel in the middle of the Coral Sea was quite small compared to the size of the ship.
On the second night, very strong winds came up. Our captain started the engines and backed the ship up to let out more length of the chain connected to the anchor. Curious (and, I must admit, a bit concerned), I asked him how it was possible for such a small anchor to hold the ship in place with the winds blowing against it so strongly.
"It is the chain that is holding the ship, not the anchor," he informed me. After the anchor is lowered, the captain looks to the first mate, who signals from the prow the direction in which the chain is laying. The captain then maneuvers the ship into the right position and lets out the necessary amount of chain to hold the ship.
Well, I began to see how this dynamic was relevant to networking. The anchor of any good networking program is the system, the process of doing business through relationships. But it’s not the system or the process that has the strength--it’s the length of the chain (the relationships) holding the networking program in place!
As you take a look at the networking groups you may be participating in, think about the links, or relationships, you have formed with the individual members. How many links does your chain have? Do you have strong relationships with many of the other members of the group, or are you closely linked with a select few, but disconnected and detached from others?
So, how do you go about letting out more chain during times when the economic winds have strengthened against your businesses? I submit that it’s time to get serious about developing stronger relationships with each and every member of the networking groups you participate in. This includes people who you don’t think have the contacts you might want or perhaps are in a business that’s not exactly symbiotic with yours.
Have you ever thought to do one-on-ones with those people as well? Spend the time to do one-on-ones with each and every active member of your network--it helps you develop a longer and stronger chain. Think of each person in your network as one of the links that lengthen that chain.
The wisdom of laying more chain to strengthen the ability of the anchor to hold strong is critical for the success of your personal network.
Another important aspect of this anchoring process is watching the first mate. Look for networking organizations with leaders who are qualified to signal the direction the chain is lying as the dynamic in your group changes.
These organization leaders should be able to signal what adjustments need to be made to ensure your network is pointed in the right direction. At one point during our tour, the first mate literally dove into the water to loosen the chain where it had become hooked on a coral formation. You need qualified people in your personal network who are willing to dive in to help lead a network in the right direction.
Starting this week, try to make the development of your "relationship chain" within your personal network your primary focus. I guarantee those relationships will be what anchor your business and your networking efforts in the long run despite economic fluctuations. The old adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link is just as true for a ship as it is for a business network.
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