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If you want to get ahead in business, networking is a must. But if you are like many people, you either just don’t like to network or your networking skills are lacking.
“Of all the areas where networking can help you, the most important are getting new business, finding a job and having relationships with key people who can help you out in ways you can’t predict yet,” writes Business Insider. “Networking opens up new opportunities for you.”
Here are a few tips on how to network effectively:
1) Play it natural. “Stumped for something to say? You’re likely not the only one. Walk up and introduce yourself, and then tell people it’s your first time there and you don’t know anyone. People connect with authenticity,” writes Inc.com.
2) Have a networking piggy bank: “Funnel a certain percentage of your paycheck into a bucket that pays for coffees, lunches and the occasional plane ticket to meet new people and shore up existing relationships,” Inc.com adds.
3) It’s not the number of people you network with, but how you network. “Focus on quality, not quantity,” said Henry Nelson, vice president and co-founder of New York-based networking organization, 1209 enterprise, LLC.
4) Do the soft sell. “Be confident but not in an arrogant way,” Nelson told us via email. “If you’re not excited about your product our services, why should they be?”
5) Stop and listen. “Be a good listener, that way you can exactly know what it is that they do and want,” advises Nelson.
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