Networking is one of the most powerful tools in the business. Simple referrals and introductions in networking events can lead to countless business and career growth opportunities — from access to job openings and new clients or partners to valuable mentorship and higher self-esteem.
For networking to be beneficial, the relationships you build with businesses, mentors, and fellow professionals within and outside your industry must be enduring. Once initial contact has been made, these steps can help you create long-lasting and meaningful professional connections.
Follow up and meet up
There are many different ways to follow up, and sending an email is the most professional (this is why exchanging business cards upon meeting each other is important). Your window of opportunity is short — 24 hours is ideal for following up. That way, the connection is still fresh in their mind. Your email should serve to jog their memory so bring up a few points made in your conversation the day before. Thank them for their time and make sure to include a call to action in your email. What do you want to achieve? It can simply be a short-term goal, like meeting up for coffee to get to know each other’s goals.
Social media can also be useful for creating and nurturing relationships. First off, you can connect to more people outside your circle and continue expanding your network. The more social connections you make, the more opportunities you can get. Next, you can cultivate these relationships online more informally compared to a professional-sounding email. For example, commenting on their online posts is a great way to initiate a conversation that can evolve into a partnership.
Learn from experts
There are settings outside of planned events where networking can take place organically. Case in point: universities. The academe is home to numerous industry experts that can serve as mentors or links between professionals. It’s also the perfect environment for learning about and putting networking skills to practice.
For instance, you can learn the value of not saying anything. In fact, Dustin York, EdD, who is the program director of an online master’s program in strategic communication, explains that one of the key concepts in this field is non-verbal communication. His research focused on how you can still clearly and effectively convey your message without verbal expression. Eye contact, voice fluctuation, facial expressions, hand gestures, and even how you position yourself in a room all play a role in how you are perceived by an audience. Lack of eye contact, for example, can be taken as lack of confidence. How can you expect businesses to trust you and build a relationship with you if you don’t seem sincere or knowledgeable about your field?
Try reaching out to your former professors and see if they can become your mentor. Take workshops or part-time learning classes if that’s available to you. By surrounding yourself with industry experts, you can hone previously overlooked skills and develop new ones. Non-verbal communication, media relations, public speaking, and creative branding are some examples of how you can learn to convey your message better.
Give to receive
The most important thing you need to learn about networking is that it’s not a one-way street. Often, you have to give even more than you’re willing to receive.
It’s what psychologist Adam Grant explored in his book on collaboration, Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. In the book, Grant talks about three different kinds of people in business: takers, givers, or matchers. Takers are the easiest to spot because they’re driven by self-interest. Givers are those who ‘give more than they get’, while matchers are governed by the principle of reciprocity. Others are likely to pick up on takers who tend to be self-promoting individuals. While matchers can be strategic, givers are the ones who make the best leaders. Grant explains that this is because their approach to relationships is highly empowering for people around them.
What this means is that you have to think about how to offer your skills and services to others with the utmost sincerity of helping them. By being a giver, you’re gaining someone else’s trust — that strong foundation is the key to beneficial and long-term professional relationships.
Article written only haywoodchamber.com
By Ana Wegner
(Image credit: Pexels)