Have a networking strategy

Mar 03, 2024 5:52 PM
Mar 03, 2024 6:00 PM

Summary

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References

Quotes

  1. Your Networking Strategy a. You have no real strategy. You accept invitations to LinkedIn,
    Facebook, or other social-media sites. You see it as overwhelming or a waste of time, certainly not a high value activity. You’re more likely to post about your friends or weekend activities.
    b. You collect people’s business cards and sometimes type them into your address file, maybe with notes on who they are or what you talked about. You occasionally remember to post on social media but it seems to have no effect. You joined industry organizations with good intentions, but never have the time to leverage all that potential.
    c. You actively build your network. You not only belong to industry organizations, but you also volunteer and/or serve on boards. You participate regularly. You stay in personal contact with lots of people and share relevant and valuable content on social-media sites. You figure if you do enough good, it will come back to you eventually.
    d. You have a clear written strategy that helps you do three things: target who you want and need in your network; connect with them proactively; and add value to everyone within your clearly identified power circles. You are proactive in reaching out to your network with pertinent information.

  2. Conferences a. You don’t attend a conference or professional meeting unless your boss sends you and pays for it. You consider it a perk.
    b. You try to find time to attend monthly meetings of your professional organizations and make an effort to attend the yearly conference sponsored by your chapter. You have attended their national conference once or twice.
    c. You attend monthly meetings for your professional organization, have given presentations, and attend all annual conferences. You get business cards at each conference, keep track of who is who, and stay in touch with the most valuable people you meet.
    d. You carefully select conferences both for the opportunity to meet influential people in your field and to meet critical players in other industries and professions. You actively seek out key people at conferences, engage with them, and build rapport. You add those key people to your contact list, assess where they belong in your power circles, and maintain the relationship accordingly.

  3. Wide, Deep, Robust Network a. Most of the people in your network work in your organization, in your profession, and are at a peer level to you. You’re not the kind of person the “big dogs” spend time with.
    b. Most of the people in your network work in your organization and profession but you have made an effort to include people that are both higher and lower than you in your organization’s hierarchy.
    c. You have many people in your network that are at a different organization level than you, in different disciplines, and who have influence in their field or profession. You appreciate different perspectives and feel you can be more effective through diverse interactions.
    d. You target key people in different disciplines, organizational levels, locations, ages and more. You make friends with people like you who are also competent, responsive, and well connected. You build strength in your network by making sure you have more than one contact in critical ecosystems (industries or circles of influence like politics, media).

  4. Power Connecting
    a. You rarely contact those in your network unless you need something like a job recommendation, to find out about job openings for yourself or a friend, or to share office or industry gossip.
    b. You contact people in your network if you need to know something or have a question that they can help you with. People contact you in the same way. You try to help when you can, if you have time.
    c. You have a decent network. If you sent an email asking for solutions to a problem, several people would respond. You keep in reasonably good touch and make sure that you thank people who help you, send you information, or include you in what they are doing.
    d. People in your network trust you. When you send them a referral, they know that this person can help them or meet their needs. You are thoughtful about who you reach out to and always seek to create mutual value for all involved. You respond to most requests and communications within twenty-four hours.

  5. Managing Your Network a. You do not actively manage your network. You think you might have most people’s current contact information, but it’s hard to be sure.
    b. You keep an address list of your connections with email, phone numbers, and other contact information. It is not current, and you also have a stack of the business cards you have gotten over the years.
    c. You keep a list (electronically or on paper) of your connections. It’s organized and as best as possible, up to date. You include notes on who is who, where you met them, and sometimes even physical descriptions.
    d. You use a management system for all your connections. You have identified your power circles: your top five, key fifty, and vital one hundred connections. You review regularly and as you meet new people determine if they should move into your power circles. You have a system for staying in touch with all of them. You learn as much as you can about your connections so that you can add the most value to them and your network.

  6. Your Share
    a. When you meet new people you do not typically tell them about yourself beyond your name and title, unless they ask things like whether or not you have kids or your favorite sports team.
    b. When meeting a new person, you tell them what you do but often feel like you are self-promoting and not accurately conveying your value or what you can do well.
    c. When you meet someone you might want to add to your network, you have a concise, rehearsed “elevator speech” so that you can quickly let them decide if they want what you’ve got.
    d. When you meet a person you have chosen to add to your network, you share your passions and some of the interesting things you have been involved in. You ask questions about their passions and actions too. You’re a good listener, you smile, use open posture, and know how to quickly build rapport. Your goal is to engage them authentically, share your vision with them, and build a mutually beneficial connection.

  7. Your Ask
    a. You rarely ask for help, resources, or connections from your network. You wouldn’t know where to begin or with whom.
    b. You ask those in your network for help, resources, or connections. Sometimes they’re helpful, sometimes not. You don’t know the top people anyway.
    c. You can use your network for information, resources, opportunities, or other connections. People in your network sometimes make suggestions, offer recommendations, or connect you with key people.
    d. You are certain that you have a good relationship before making requests of anyone. You start with small requests and continue to add value to the relationship so that when you need something big, your connections will want to help. You are passionate about what you do and communicate that. You do not waste people’s time.

  8. Reconnect Immediately a. It might take weeks, months, or even a year before you follow up with someone new you just met. You’ve got a lot on your plate.
    b. You try to follow up and send emails within a week to people you have just met. But if you don’t get around to it, you typically just let it go.
    c. You almost always send an email to someone you have just met and want to stay in touch with. If you tell people you will send them something, you make sure to send it. You enter anything personal, any point of real human connection into your database so when needed you can use it to help refresh your memory or theirs about who you are.
    d. When you meet a new person you contact him or her within twentyfour hours and send them something that they will find valuable like an article, a webcast, or a website. You start to immediately add value to the relationship. You become unforgettable.

  9. Social Networks
    a. When you add or allow someone into a social network, you use the default option. You rarely check any of those sites to post or see who has posted. Who has the time?
    b. When you add someone to a social network you use the default request option. You regularly post your own stuff and occasionally comment on the posts of people you like.
    c. When you add someone to a social network you always add a personal note. You regularly post and respond to what others have posted. You try to post things that others will find beneficial.
    d. When you add someone to a social network you make sure that this is a person you want to be connected with. You always send a warm greeting to the person to build rapport. You also reach out to people you don’t know and start adding value to them by sharing beneficial information. You comment regularly and work to build good relationships through your social-media outreach.

  10. Understanding the Power of Networking a. You don’t really use networking. You are sure you don’t really need a network unless you are looking for a job.
    b. You know that networking is important. You just haven’t gotten organized and finding the time is difficult.
    c. You know that networking is critical to having opportunities, advancing your career, and opening doors. You have a good network and you work to make it viable and useful, both to you and those in your network.
    d. Networking is a key part of your professional strategy. You know that it is through people that you will be successful. You also know that relationships are the key to effective networks, and you make sure to add value to everyone in your power circles, to know what those in your power circles are doing and who they are connected to