Where can networking take place?

A few weeks ago, we talked about WHAT a network looks like, so today we’re going to elaborate a little more on WHERE networking can take place.

It’s not just “oh, at the grocery store!” or “oh - in an online group of like-minded folks.”

It starts with your mind.??

Your curiosity.??

Your intentions.??

Your nuanced actions.

And ultimately, it starts with fertile soil where networking can actually GROW.

Kari Jo Taylor said it perfectly:?

Networking happens anywhere customers or potential customers are…even on my Facebook page. Although it’s private, you notice things and start a conversation.

The key to that statement??

Awareness.?

Networking happens when awareness is alive & ticking.? You could pass by your ideal networking contact at a conference but not even know it if you’re not consciously present, keenly aware of what you’re looking for, a goal in hand, and a well-thought-out plan of how to execute it.

Michael Houston brought up another key point:?

Anywhere there is a receptive person........... In person or digitally!!!!!!! Just takes someone to engage another.

Because that is the key right there: ENGAGE.??

The purpose of networking is to have a continuous two-way engagement between people (or organizations).?

You wouldn’t marry someone who never returned your calls, would you??

Networking is the same.? Engage the ones who engage with you back, and soon enough, a relationship will blossom that you may both benefit from.

But much like what Grandmother Willow says about the ripples in the Disney movie, Pocahontas, “someone has to start them.”

Make the first step and engage.? It is in that brave little conversation that your first networking seed will be planted.

Is networking hard though?? Of course it can be.?

It all depends on what you’ve currently got to work with, and what you’re trying to achieve in life.? Nothing is handed to you on a silver platter, yet some people seem to breeze through networking events like a pro.

But don’t let that social media “highlight reel” fool you - we may not be as “pro” as you think.

I appreciate the honesty that Brooks Bradford, Jr. brought to the table:

It comes naturally to some, but many like me must really work at it. Organizations are my typical go-to, with my biggest being the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo -- an incredible collection of 35,000 people and industrial connections in SE Texas (it's not just limited to Houston anymore).?

Playing to your strengths (do you already participate in activities that are near & dear to your heart?) will amplify your networking efforts further than if you are in a situation starting completely from scratch.??

Look at your current life - where are you already active?? Is this a place you can network inside?? Why or why not?

Most importantly: what do you stand to gain or lose by not taking action?

For Allan Machann Jr. , a casual conversation led to defining his career path:

I got my start in the industry as a grunt in a manufacturing & repair center through a church friend who wanted to ensure I learned a trade. We still communicate today and he is still a machinist at the same company. For him that’s okay. For me I’m forever grateful but realized that I had a deep interest in learning how the components we manufactured and repaired fit together in the bigger picture which led to how does the equipment that those components go in fit into the infrastructure it supports…

Networking isn’t always going to produce instant results.??

When you think of networking as an activity that broadens your horizons, it gets less intimidating.? You aren’t necessarily zoned into this laser-focused end goal (but it’s ok if you’re at that level!), but merely testing the waters to see if you want to swim towards that direction.

For Allan, he was pointed towards a specific direction, but due to being so in tune with his individual strengths & skills, he opted to dive deeper, and evolved into becoming an Account Manager for rotating equipment instead, and getting to educate people on the very things that he started learning on himself all those years ago.

One final thought from Ryan Tieman that I want you to keep in mind everywhere you go:

Networking is about making your business as positively visible as possible.

While you are out “in the field” networking at all those fancy (or not-so-fancy) events - what nonverbal signals are you sending out into the world?

WHERE is not necessarily reduced to a physical or virtual location.?

In my eyes, WHERE is tied closely to “how” you network.?

That intangible space between first impression and “do I really want to walk up to this dude to say hi?”

Let’s close this week’s article with a real-world example:

Your goal is simple: find a vendor to help expand your sub-supplier list.?

You’re seeing a steady uptick in spare parts orders, so need to ensure that you can meet your clients’ needs.? Since you also care greatly about lead times and ensuring that they remain reasonable, you’d like to spread the manufacturing burden across a few different shops since you know they are equally as bowed up as you, and can only produce so much with so finite the amount of current resources available.

You go to one of those networking events for the industry that everyone talks about.

To your left is a group of raucous folks, with hoards of dirty glasses clustered all over the table due to servers not being able to keep up with the swift emptying of them.? A handful of women play musical chairs on multiple guys’ laps, shrieking and being unnecessarily loud, while wearing clothing that makes you raise an eyebrow.? The guys chug their beers in one gulp like some college frat party.? They wear shirts or hats with their company logos on them, so you take note of what those are.?

You start to think of what would happen if your high-end corporate clients ever saw you hanging out with this crowd & the way they have chosen to behave in such a public setting, and don’t even bother to make first contact because they probably won’t even remember the conversation y’all had that night, they seem three sheets already (and it's EARLY).

To your right is a group of the same number of people, clustered around a table, a drink in hand sure, but clearly imbibing in a measured way.? They are talking amongst themselves earnestly, taking turns so as to not talk (or scream) over the other, and you can see that it is a respectful exchange of communications.? They also wear branded company clothing, and as you scan their logos, see that one of them happens to be something useful, so you make your way over.

They politely make room for you to sit down.? One of the guys makes good eye contact and asks what you do, and where you work, then everyone goes around the table introducing themselves automatically.? This, you tell yourself, is a much more successfully starting point for a professional conversation.

I cannot stress this enough: first impressions are BIG.

And while that first group might seem like something I pulled randomly out of thin air, I can assure you - it’s not.?

I used to attend local industry networking events regularly, but after too many weeks of seeing those kinds of situations take place, it was clear that the type of networking happening was of a more, um, personal nature, rather than the genuine company connections I sought to create for the purposes of growing my company’s business endeavors.

And so I stopped. And redirected my energies towards LinkedIn instead.

WHERE isn’t always a defined place you can quickly pop in and out of and that's it.

“Where” can also be the lasting mental space someone builds of you in their mind: a strong perception created due to your body language, the manner you speak, your responsiveness (or not) to questions, the overall company you keep, or the general way you or your company is presented (i.e. your “brand”).

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “oh wow - after seeing what that guy said or did, I totally want to be his friend!” - you have now unlocked a tiny little door in your head that, should this person approach you and wish to engage in a conversation, you would willingly allow.

(and vice versa - if you see people engaging in behavior that goes against your core values, you would probably be a lot less willing to let them into your life, am I right?)

This mental space is the most powerful “location” you can show up.

And thankfully?? It’s the easiest to control when you build your (personal or professional) brand intentionally.

So…what did I miss?? Where else can networking take place?