Twelve Principles of Highly Effective Networkers – Part 2

Networking is not something you do when you need to get a job or attract new customers. Networking is a lifestyle discipline that should be started by the time you graduate high school.

Every skill required in networking you likely know and have used in past interactions. Now it is a matter of applying some best practices to what you already know to become an effective networker. I presented Tips One through Six in our previous post; now let’s tackle Tips Seven through Thirteen: 

Seven: Share After They Have Shared. Keep your sharing to 40% or less of the conversation. Be concise, warm, and tell mini-stories. They will ask follow-on questions if they want to know more. 

Eight: Keep it Positive. No one is attracted to negative people, so avoid any conversation that is negative, like complaining, gossiping, or talking about how bad things are. Instead, express a level of positive excitement in all you say.

Nine: Practice Effective Body Language. Body language communicates your interest. Smile from the eyes as well as the mouth. Listen with the eyes as well as the ears. Stand alertly but not aggressively. Your body language should invite conversation and demonstrate your interest in what is being said. 

Ten: Gather Contact Information. Make sure you get their contact information, which includes phone, email and possibly their social media and/or website information. Invest in some business cards with your contact information to make it easier for others. Record the information in your email or physical address book.

Eleven: Send a Follow-Up. Send them a quick email or text to let them know that you enjoyed meeting them. Mention something that showed you were listening. Invite them to connect with you via LinkedIn and other social networks. 

Twelve: Seek Opportunities to Meet People. There are opportunities everywhere to meet people. Every town and city has local networking groups (Google “Top Networking Sites” or “Virtual Networking in {topical area}” to find events in your area or area of interest). Every profession has associations. You can meet people in the checkout line. Or in your neighborhood. Where you go to school or work. At social events. At a ballgame. You get the idea – Anywhere! And think…if you made it a point to meet just one new person every day, at the end of a year you’d have over 350 new people in your network! 

Thirteen: Master Virtual Networking. Whether you use Zoom, GoToMeeting, MS Teams or other virtual meeting platform, you can deepen your connection to people by seeing each others faces. Positive body language is key, such as genuine smiles, paying complete attention to the speaker, and showing you are taking notes of important things others say. In fact, virtual meetings allow small groups to have great interaction and are more time efficient than physical gatherings. In today's challenging environment, smart networkers make it a short-term objective to master the art and science of virtual networking.

Bottom Line

Your mother was right…it’s not what you know but who you know. In today’s world of 24/7 connectivity, becoming a highly effective networker means greater career success.

In what specific areas of your career can you could apply these six networking principle?

This article is derived from my highly acclaimed course, Leading Through People 16 – Networking for Leaders.

I love working with people and organizations who want to improve their effectiveness! Here are several outstanding resources that can help you and your organization to go to the next level:

• Improving your (or your team’s) management and leadership skills: Leading Through People?. This acclaimed program equips participants in thousands of current and emerging best practices of leadership, hiring, and talent development.
• Raising your (or your team’s) selling and sales management effectiveness: B2B Sales Essentials? (among the 30-plus courses we offer are ones on selling with emotional intelligence and storyselling!)
• Conducting a more effective job search: Get a Better Job Faster?

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About me: I work with some of the world’s top employers by helping them get the most out of their talented people. My company's extensive leadership development course catalog provides effective skills-building for everyone in the organization, from the new / developing leader to the seasoned C-level executive. My company's coaching programs produce significant results in compressed periods of time. I also help job seekers, higher ed, and employment services connect people to better jobs faster. My company's acclaimed career development tools help people navigate the ever-changing landscape of conducting a successful job search. To find out more, please visit us at www.boyermanagement.com, email us at [email protected], or call us at 215-942-0982.