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February 22, 2002/Adar 10, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 23
Networking is giving
DAVE SHERMAN
Special to Jewish News
A friend of mine just started her own business. One of the first pieces of advice I gave her was that if she wants to grow her business, she has to start networking.
She joined her local Chamber of Commerce and started attending networking functions. Since she hadn't done much networking in the past, she learns how to network by watching the other people in the room.
These people walk around, introduce themselves, hand out business cards, and tell people how their product or service can help them. In return, they are hoping to walk out of this function with a handful of other people's business cards so they can try and sell them their product or service at a later time. There is one small problem with this method of networking - it isn't networking.
What my friend observed was prospecting and that is not networking. My definition of networking is being a valuable personal and professional resource for others and expecting nothing in return.
Plain and simple, networking is giving. It's asking yourself, "What can I do to help other people achieve their goals and desires?" Zig Zigler, one of the greatest motivational sales speakers of all time, is quoted as saying, "You will always get what you want out of life if you help enough other people get what they want out of life."
So, what's the best way to network? The best way is for you to start building connections with others by selling yourself instead of your product or service. I have surveyed many people about what is most important when they begin networking with someone. Everyone always says that selling yourself is most important. If this is truly the case, why is it that the first thing most people say when they begin networking is their name, their title, their company name, and what their company does?
I hate to be the one to break the news, but nobody really cares about what you do.
People just want to find a way to connect with you and they can't do that if all you ever talk about is your business. People want to see what's in your heart, not just what's in your head.
Connections are made by learning about people's hobbies, their backgrounds, their stories, and by learning about the things that are truly most important to them. People do business with people, not companies, and until you let someone see you for who you really are, you will never truly succeed in networking.
I have spent the past three years training people how to network like this. For most people, this is a brand new way to network. It isn't the easiest way, but it's the way to connect with the most people.
This concept of opening up your heart when you network will take some practice, especially for men. Women have been networking like this forever and that's one of the many reasons why women-owned businesses have skyrocketed over the years. Give my idea of networking a try, and you'll start to see just how easy giving of yourself can be.
Dave Sherman, The Networking Guy, is president of The Networking Academy. Sherman can be reached at 480-860-6100 or at dave@thenetworkingguy.com.
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