They say that networking is one of the best possible things you can do in business if you want to climb the ladder and do well. Whether you’re looking to get a promotion or start a business of your own, networking can really help you to get to where you want to be. As the saying goes, ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ But what if you’re not sure how to strengthen your skills and make the most of every interaction you have? This guide will help you. Anybody can use the tricks here, so take a look and see if they can help you to get to where you want to be:
Set Goals For Your Networking
It’s a good idea to set goals for networking. For example; when going to an event, how many people would you like to speak to? How many email addresses would you like to acquire? Setting goals will give you something to aim for and stick to, and you’ll be able to better measure your success and figure out whether you’re taking the right steps to meet your goals. Break down your goals and figure out how you’ll achieve them, too.
Make It A Habit
Make networking a habit by ensuring you’re not just doing it whenever you go to events. Do it every day. Find opportunities to network whenever you can, whether that’s in your local coffee shop, the supermarket queue, or somewhere else. Just speak to people and practice working on your skills this way! This is one of the most valuable networking tips you’ll get. The more you practice and the more you make networking a habit, the better. Force yourself out of your comfort zone and network whenever you can.
Always Have A Way To Follow Up
Make sure you don’t make a connection with anybody without having some way of following up. Ask for their business card, or their email address. You can’t just speak to somebody once and expect them to become a valuable connection. You need to make sure you work on that connection later on down the line. Make sure you have a solid tactic for following up so that you can get the results you want and continue building those all important relationships.
Have Updated Business Cards
Having updated business cards ensures you can give them to everybody you meet and build relationships. This way, they’ll remember your name, especially if you ensure your business cards are attractive. Although you can definitely make them unique, you shouldn’t try to get too weird with them. Make sure they can still fit inside of a purse or wallet.
Create Deeper Connections
Make it your goal to set a little time aside each week to make the connections you’ve already made deeper. If you only focus on making new connections all the time, you can bet that the connections you’ve made will flounder. Ensure that making new connections isn’t your only focus, and that you work on strengthening those past connections and keeping them fresh too. It’ll make such a big difference to your success!
Listen More Than You Talk
There’s nothing worse than somebody who only talks about themselves. Talking about yourself a little can get people interested and make them want to talk to you, but listening is the key to making people warm to you, getting to know them, and making the most of every connection that you make. Ensure you listen more than you talk. Practice listening, and don’t just wait to jump in with a fact about yourself. Don’t turn every connection around and make it about you. Make each person you speak to feel valued by listening properly.
This is a skill that can always be improved on, so consider taking a course or a workshop so you can perfect it.
Diversify Your Connections By Looking To Different Industries
Don’t just attempt to network with people in your industry. Get out of your industry and network with those in other industries and niches to diversify. You should have connections across many different areas – you never know who or what you might need, and when! Diversifying is the key to having strong connections, not just connecting with as many people as you possibly can.
Start using these networking tricks that really work today and you should notice a huge difference in your business success. Leave any of your own tips below. Thanks for reading!
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