11 Mar My Secret to Successful Networking

I hate networking! There must be a giant networking secret that no one will share! We’ve all been there, we’ve all said it but anyone successful in business will tell you that networking is a necessary evil. I too hate that very first walk into a crowded room where you know no one. All of a sudden you have reverted to a gawky 13 year old on their first day at a new school where everyone already has friends and are in their own little cliques! Well, STOP! You are NOT 13, you are NOT at school and you are NOT on the outer before you begin.

As I said, I too hate that first entry into a new networking group but you know what, I really enjoy the second and third and fourth and so on…. It’s hard meeting new people, I hear you but you need to get past that.

The benefits far out way your fears. You’re a grown up now and a business owner and the only way that your business is going to grow is if you step out of your safety zone and tell people about it! How on Earth are they going to know how fabulous you are if you can’t even speak to them! Don’t get me wrong, I hate telling people about myself but I have learnt how to incorporate the personal and the professional.

Most people will tell you to just relax and be yourself, I won’t. Do you want to know my networking secret?… Have a plan!!

If you are shy and hate speaking to strangers, plan what you are going to say. Don’t make yourself wing it, prepare how you will introduce yourself, a couple of conversation starters and even preempt answers to questions that you may be asked. Find common ground, you may think that you have nothing in common with the other person but at the end of the day, the simple fact that you are both at the same even is proof that you have something in common! Mention this is your first time, is it their’s? Talk about the venue, topics, speakers – even the parking or surrounding area. All you need is a sentence or two to get started and the rest will flow (and if it doesn’t, you can always escape to the bar)!

I used to work in PR and this is exactly how I learnt to network. To start with, I was a shy, bumbling mess. I just felt out of my league, like a little kid trying to play with the grownups (actually, I often still feel that way) but then I learnt that if I planned how the meeting/event/lunch would go, it put me back in the drivers seat and I lost that horrible feeling of no control.

My other networking secret is to start small. Find a local networking group where you feel that you’ll have something in common with the other members of the group. I was part of a very new group run by Start Up Mum. I was a member since its beginning and it was so welcoming, definitely better than jumping into the deep end with a long standing BNI chapter. The bigger groups will likely be more beneficial to your business in the long run but work your way up to them. Attending before you feel you are “ready” will only scare you off for the future and you also won’t make a great impression!

So next time someone tells you that if you just relax and you’ll be fine and inside you’re thinking “Sure! That’s easy for you to say!” remember my advice and regain your control and be that confident business owner that can walk into a room, hold their head high and proudly introduce yourself.