Is YOUR Networking Working?

Us human beings are social animals. The desire to grow our tribes is firmly embedded into our collective DNA. Which is why business networking exists. It used to be the primary motivating factor when attending the plethora of networking events that used to take place throughout the world every single day.

But then along came the novel coronavirus COVID19 which has decimated the $850 bn. meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry whose raison d'être was effectively to facilitate networking between peers – alas ‘in person’ networking whilst practicing social distancing is both counterintuitive and oxymoronic.

However, as Napoleon Hill once pointed out, every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

We now all intuitively aware that virtual has become our new reality. 

I have been extoling the virtues of virtual networking long before the pandemic reared its ugly head as this article I wrote in 2018 bears witness. Irrespective of the pandemic, It offers enormous advantages over its real-world cousin: it leaves ZERO carbon footprint, it’s GLOBAL, and it’s FREE. What’s not to like?

Being a globalist myself, I love meeting new and interesting people this way. Pre-corona, I often used to attend networking events in my local area. However, I often found these to be too hyper-local in their nature. Thanks to virtual networking, the world is indeed our oyster.

Many people are still unaware that networking virtually is a ‘thing’. And if they do, more often than not they do not have a clue where to start. Which is where I come in.

Over and above teaching people the techniques and methodologies of networking this way, my clients have access to a large and valuable network of extraordinary people throughout the world.

My ‘go to’ platform when networking this way is WhatsApp. Owned by Facebook, roughly two billion people, or about a quarter of the world’s population use it. 

I now run 150+ WhatsApp groups covering all kinds of industries and business subjects, and I am taking a long tail approach – I know nothing about BioTech, but what I DO know is that when you have two of more people in the same (virtual!) room there is more likely to be a meeting of minds which might then end up in a transaction. It certainly could end up in a friendship – I have lost count of the amount of relationships I have catalyzed through my countless introductions – which is what makes my role as a professional networker so rewarding.

Community building lies at the heart of what I do. And judging by the numerous recommendations on my LinkedIn profile, I think I do it rather well.

To this end, if your networking efforts are currently not working you can do no worse than scheduling a free fifteen-minute no-obligation call with me to find out how I can help you grow your network.

It must just be the most valuable call you have this year.