_Put Your Networking on Autopilot
_
Business networking - One of the most common questions I am asked is “How do I get started with networking?” There are so many different techniques and tactics available to help you reach your networking goals, sometimes it seems all too daunting.
Here is what I think about all the techniques and tactics… they don’t matter. Yep that’s right: they don’t matter! All of the options on how to connect with people are just that, options. You can take them or leave them. People generally gravitate to the methods that suit them naturally and that’s great. But there is one important factor that is often overlooked. And it’s this factor that makes all the difference.
Networking is a habit. It’s as simple as that. It matters less which method you utilize on any given day, much like when an athlete changes up the bicep exercise in their routine. It’s not so much the exercise that builds the muscle, it’s the fact that they do it every day that counts. Aristotle knew this fact when he said, “We are what we repeatedly do.”
You may be thinking, “That sounds OK but I’ve got plenty of bad habits I’ve tried to change over the years without any luck. Why should making networking a habit be any different?” Searching deep inside for your reason to work on this area of your life is a personal thing that you should spend some time thinking about. For me it is more a matter of necessity rather than nicety. I need to do well in my job to keep it, and to do that I need to network with people.
What I can share with you is a way to make your networking a habit. It doesn’t rely on willpower or any superhuman exertion of discipline.
1. Forget your end goal, focus instead on starting your everyday actions. When you are starting out I want you to forget your end goal after you have set it. Counter-intuitive? It’s meant to be. Thinking about your final large goal can be intimidating and crush your enthusiasm within a few days. What you want to build in the first few weeks is consistency, that’s all.
2. Be as specific as possible with when, how and for what length of time your networking activities will take place.The more specific you are with the details the less you have to think about them again once they are set. This makes it easier to “just do” when you need to.
3. Record the progress of your actions at the end of each day. Notice I said the progress of your actions, not your results. If you are doing the right things, you’ll get the right results. What we are focusing on is getting the actions to become automatic. Being aware and accountable for your actions each day will help immensely with this.
4. Rest after you’ve finished your set networking activities. I don’t mean go and have a nap (although I’m a big fan of napping in the afternoons to power back up). I mean take in 10 deep breaths, drink some water and have a walk around for 5 minutes. It’s as important to recover from a set action as it is to execute it well.
5. Repeat every day.
My networking ritual looks something like this on any given day.
1. I’ve got my goal of how many deals I want to close every month, but when I start my networking every morning all I’m interested in are the two centers of influence that I’m going to speak to that morning and forget everything else.
2. Sitting at my desk with my computer up, a bottle of water next to me and my phone within reach signals that I’m about to start networking. My designated length of time is 30 minutes and it’s split up like this. 10 minutes researching people I want to connect with, 15 minutes of calling/leaving voice mails and 5 minutes of recording my actions.
3. At the end of the day I review my notes from the networking session in the morning and add any other networking events that took place during the rest of the day. I then file that piece of paper away and review it again every two weeks to check for patterns.
4. I like to take 10 deep breaths (5 seconds breathing in, 10 seconds holding and 5 seconds breathing out), having a big drink of water and stretching. My hamstrings are pretty tight and stretching is one of those things I know I need to do everyday so I built it into my networking routine.
5. Do it all again the next day.
That’s it! I hope this post helps with getting you started and puts your networking on autopilot!
Business networking
Business networking - One of the most common questions I am asked is “How do I get started with networking?” There are so many different techniques and tactics available to help you reach your networking goals, sometimes it seems all too daunting.
Here is what I think about all the techniques and tactics… they don’t matter. Yep that’s right: they don’t matter! All of the options on how to connect with people are just that, options. You can take them or leave them. People generally gravitate to the methods that suit them naturally and that’s great. But there is one important factor that is often overlooked. And it’s this factor that makes all the difference.
Networking is a habit. It’s as simple as that. It matters less which method you utilize on any given day, much like when an athlete changes up the bicep exercise in their routine. It’s not so much the exercise that builds the muscle, it’s the fact that they do it every day that counts. Aristotle knew this fact when he said, “We are what we repeatedly do.”
You may be thinking, “That sounds OK but I’ve got plenty of bad habits I’ve tried to change over the years without any luck. Why should making networking a habit be any different?” Searching deep inside for your reason to work on this area of your life is a personal thing that you should spend some time thinking about. For me it is more a matter of necessity rather than nicety. I need to do well in my job to keep it, and to do that I need to network with people.
What I can share with you is a way to make your networking a habit. It doesn’t rely on willpower or any superhuman exertion of discipline.
1. Forget your end goal, focus instead on starting your everyday actions. When you are starting out I want you to forget your end goal after you have set it. Counter-intuitive? It’s meant to be. Thinking about your final large goal can be intimidating and crush your enthusiasm within a few days. What you want to build in the first few weeks is consistency, that’s all.
2. Be as specific as possible with when, how and for what length of time your networking activities will take place.The more specific you are with the details the less you have to think about them again once they are set. This makes it easier to “just do” when you need to.
3. Record the progress of your actions at the end of each day. Notice I said the progress of your actions, not your results. If you are doing the right things, you’ll get the right results. What we are focusing on is getting the actions to become automatic. Being aware and accountable for your actions each day will help immensely with this.
4. Rest after you’ve finished your set networking activities. I don’t mean go and have a nap (although I’m a big fan of napping in the afternoons to power back up). I mean take in 10 deep breaths, drink some water and have a walk around for 5 minutes. It’s as important to recover from a set action as it is to execute it well.
5. Repeat every day.
My networking ritual looks something like this on any given day.
1. I’ve got my goal of how many deals I want to close every month, but when I start my networking every morning all I’m interested in are the two centers of influence that I’m going to speak to that morning and forget everything else.
2. Sitting at my desk with my computer up, a bottle of water next to me and my phone within reach signals that I’m about to start networking. My designated length of time is 30 minutes and it’s split up like this. 10 minutes researching people I want to connect with, 15 minutes of calling/leaving voice mails and 5 minutes of recording my actions.
3. At the end of the day I review my notes from the networking session in the morning and add any other networking events that took place during the rest of the day. I then file that piece of paper away and review it again every two weeks to check for patterns.
4. I like to take 10 deep breaths (5 seconds breathing in, 10 seconds holding and 5 seconds breathing out), having a big drink of water and stretching. My hamstrings are pretty tight and stretching is one of those things I know I need to do everyday so I built it into my networking routine.
5. Do it all again the next day.
That’s it! I hope this post helps with getting you started and puts your networking on autopilot!
Business networking