Network with Purpose: Networking Goal-Setting & Habit-Tracking Tips

It’s?a time of the year where many are?focused?on goal setting.?But?it?doesn’t?need to be the start of a year for you to review or set goals.

And in this?case,?setting networking goals.?

Setting?goals?could?be the key to making your networking work for you.

Perhaps you’re?drifting?from event to?event?not seeing results for?the?time and effort?you’re?putting in.?

Goals help give you direction and purpose.

Yet many make the mistake of setting audacious or unrealistic goals.?Which could apply to?most goals in general?(like your?New Year’s resolutions that are broken within a week).?

But?in?networking terms, this could?be?something like; ‘get 20 new clients from networking?events?in the next 12 months’ or ‘gain?￡[enter unrealistic amount] in new business from networking per month’.

These focus on the end goal too much. It makes your networking become transactional. Not based on building meaningful relationships.

You end up putting pressure on yourself. Start chasing the results. Start coming across as pushy and ‘selly’ at events. Not getting any traction or building valuable relationships. Then losing the appetite to network.

You end up saying ‘networking doesn’t work’.

When?really,?it’s?your?approach and unrealistic goals?that are to?blame.

Instead, work backwards and break down that end goal (which?isn’t?wrong to have as a desired result of your networking?by the way) into achievable?weekly?or monthly actions and habits.

If your goal is?about getting?several?new clients or revenue in a particular?period, what activity needs to be done to ensure you are taking steps towards?that?

Examples could be:?

• Commit to?X number of events per month.?
• Research the guest list prior to attending every event,?finding?2 guests?I’d?like to meet.?
• Add dedicated time?in?my calendar after each event I attend to follow up everyone I met.?
• Reach out to?5 existing contacts a week via email or LinkedIn.?
• Add a weekly/monthly slot in my diary to reconnect with people I met last week/month.?

These?examples?are?daily/weekly/monthly actions that will compound to help achieve your long-term networking results.

These become much more?manageable?and?achievable?over time, and you start to approach networking with a completely different mindset knowing that these are actions that are?producing results.

Treat?goals like this as?tactics and methods that can be adapted as you?learn what is working. And track them! Use a simple habit tracker or add time?to?your calendar to ensure you are accountable.

And like any goal or habit, don't do it once or twice and then stop. Be consistent and set time in your calendar each quarter to review your progress.

After all, business networking forms part of your overall marketing strategy. And I bet you set goals and KPI's for most aspects of that (I hope).

People network for many reasons.?So, your goals should align?to?that. A?good place to start?before setting goals?and building habits is knowing?why you’re networking.?

For example, you may be doing it purely to?learn?from and?help?others?as part of an ongoing way to build relationships?and become a key person of influence.?In which case, your?big?goal?and weekly/monthly habits?should reflect?that.

Ultimately, networking?and?relationship building?requires?work. Just like a house plant. If you don't give it water and the attention it needs regularly,?it’ll gradually die out.

Don't let that happen to your relationships!

Something we aim to help our members avoid. Not just through the events we host. But by learning your?objectives?throughout?the?onboarding process, using our expertise and experience to educate?and support you achieve them.

Learn how and tell us your networking objectives by?booking?a?free?1-2-1?discovery session?with a member of the team.

What networking goals do you set? Or habits do you have?