What Kind of Networker are You?

Posted: June 24, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: business, Business Plan, Customer Service, Goal-Setting, Leadership, Sales, Selling Your Business, SMB | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are-you-a-great-networker

My last blog focused on the importance of business networking as a tool that can be used to build your business’ brand and expand your professional contacts. Finding your fit and incorporating networking into your business plan and regular schedule can greatly increase the benefits of taking part in different networking functions and platforms.

Your next step is to uncover what kind of personality you adopt when in a networking situation. Do you make the first move? Are you a card collector? Find out what your networking style is from the descriptions below.

The Observer: You often hang back in networking situations and soak up what is going on around you. You prefer one-on-one conversations, so you often engage in conversations with individuals who are seated at your table. Your professional network is small, but you are close with each individual contact. Try to find networking situations where one-on-one conversation is encouraged and focus on making solid connections with those you speak too. It’s about quality over quantity, after all. Make sure that you commit to following up with connections made.

The Reactor: You are open to making as many connections as possible, but you prefer to be approached rather than make the first move yourself. You prefer to look for some kind of connection or association with someone rather than completely cold contact. You also like to follow-up with someone about specific questions or information rather than a general or vague follow-up. Because of these tendencies, don’t worry about bothering potential contacts, because your subtle approach and specific questions do not come on too strong.

The Socializer: As a socializer, you are looking to make a friend in any situation. You are good with faces and names but not as strategic in understanding how you can create mutually beneficial business connections. Because of your social, friendly, nature, adopting more systematic follow-up after networking events will complement your strengths and make networking worth your while.

Initiator: You are an active networker, but take a balanced approach to forming professional connections with people. You seek diverse networking opportunities that fit your style and include others in conversation. You are an excellent relationship builder in that you seek to understand others’ perspective and unique selling point and contribute useful information to conversations. As an initiator, you understand the difference between selling and helping and seek to make long-term relationships with others.

Director: A director is strategic and methodical about networking. You are very present in a variety of networking circles and your name pops up a lot in different settings. Make sure that your networking efforts are focused and you approach networking as a means to relationship build versus solely trying to expand your network. When you make people feel valued, they are more willing to engage with you and your message!

Every networking personality has unique strengths – which category do you fall under? Which personality do you prefer interacting with? I look forward to your thoughts below.

What Kind of Networking is Right for You?

Posted: June 10, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: business, Business Plan, Business Vision, Customer Service, Goal-Setting, Leadership, Sales, SMB | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Business Networking

Networking is an important aspect of business, yet most business owners become wary of networking events and wonder if the time set aside to attend these functions is worth their effort. From my experience, a shift in how we look at networking is required in order to see a return on your investment by way of new business and increased professional contacts.

In order to reframe your experience with building your professional network, there are a few things to remember that will help keep your perspective:

Find your Fit: Whether you participate in Boards of Trade or groups based on your industry or the size of your business, be prepared to take some time to understand what networking avenue is best for you. Networking is not “one-size-fits-all”, and what works for a B2C company may not work for your B2B enterprise. Do your homework and find the right fit for your business goals.

Commit to it: Business owners are busy. If networking is a priority for you, you need to be prepared to invest the time to commit to your networking goals. Attending an event once every couple of months may not yield the results you are looking for because successful networking requires regular contact and attendance. Make a commitment that works with your schedule and understand that the process of networking will be slower if you have less time to devote to it.

Quality vs. Quantity: When you do attend a networking event that you think is a good fit for you, avoid the impulse to talk to every person in the room and collect as many business cards as you can. In an hour or two, you are only capable of making quality connections with a handful of people. Instead, ensure you spend your time making a deeper connection with a few people, asking questions and learning about their business. By focusing on conversations with just a few people, you are building a foundation from which you can uncover how you can each benefit from the other.

Helping vs. Selling: Remembering to focus on mutual benefits cannot be overstated when it comes to networking successfully for your business. You do not want to go into a networking event with the sole purpose of trying to sell your product or service. Instead, try to uncover how you can help the people you engage with. Once you have a built a relationship, it is much easier to bring business in because your contacts will be that much more willing to work with you as a person.

Don’t discount informal networking: Networking doesn’t only occur in a formal structured setting. As a business owner you meet people in social settings and using the “helping vs. selling” approach you can develop new contacts and opportunities.

What kind of networking works for your business? How important is networking to your business, and how do you plan on including it in your schedule? I look forward to your thought below.