Is the online networking you do really so different from good old fashioned
networking? Sure, we may use words like ‘social media’, or ‘blogging’, or
‘online communities’, but I think after reading this article, you’ll find that
online networking is really just dad’s Oldsmobile with a paint job.
I decided to interview networking expert Chuck Cory, to get a good
understanding on how to effectively network offline (meaning in person), to see
what the similarities were. I’ve known Chuck for many years, and I would
consider him to be a master networker. Chuck is an entrepreneur, and on the side
he runs a popular breakfast business networking event in Denver called NewBCI.
Let’s see what Chuck has to say about networking.
INTERVIEW EXCERPTS:
Rita: What does the word networking mean
to you?
Chuck: Networking, specifically B2B
networking to me is a business marketing tool that can be used to build business
relationships no matter how many people are present, regardless of the scenario
and with various levels of complexity depending upon the circumstances, the
culture and the environment in which the networker is marketing.
It means the opportunity to meet new business people and explore the
possibilities for mutual satisfaction. By opportunities, I mean the building of
a relationship that can result in a sale (which is what most people think that
networking is all about), or creating a mutual referral source, or creating an
asset.
The sale aspect is fairly clear cut and when people treat a networking
opportunity as just a "sales lead", they are missing a lot of opportunities.
Building solid referral sources and mutual win-win situations takes time and
work.
An asset can be a product, service or individual that acts as a resource
in one way or the other. My lawyer, my CPA, my Banker are all knowledge assets;
but my Banker is also a monetary source, and hence an asset.
Rita: What has networking done for your
business?
Chuck: Since the facilitation of networking
events in one of my major tasks, networking has expanded my business beyond
belief. Even if there are only 50 – 60 individuals at an event, each individual
there has their own contacts. This has caused my business to expand beyond my
capacity to handle it.
By applying the principles of referral networking, New Business Connections
(NewBCI) has grown as have my other endeavors. There are a lot of people for
instance that are sending people to a NewBCI Breakfast event that I have not
talked to for a long time – or for that matter even know.
Rita: Why is it important that people go
out and network for their business?
Chuck: Personal contact – plain and
simple.Networking should lead to personal contact at the local level, and with
the sophisticated tools we have today (including video websites) virtual
personal contacts are possible, but it is not the same as human interaction.
Humanitizing the business contact is becoming more and more important as
more and more people use technology to conduct their business. Pressing the
flesh (offline community activity) may seem less efficient than online community
involvement, but it is generally more effective for a lot of people. Online
perceptions about an individual can be completely reversed once you meet someone
in person.
Personal contact is also still necessary for the human psyche. While
transactions can be started, processed and completed completely online – human
interaction is the best way to start and maintain a business relationship. At
least in my opinion.
Rita: How is offline networking similar
to online networking?
Chuck: I define offline networking as
those networking activities that do not occur on the Internet, from Chambers of
Commerce, to business exchange leads groups, to BNI, NewBCI or One Business
Connections for example. Online communities consist of Ryze, Linkedin, Fastpitch
and others. Wikepdia has a tremendous list: List of social networking websites.
Doing a wikepdia search on Online_communities will reveal a well organized
virtual list of online communities.
To answer your question, in the beginning, you do not know who you are
dealing with. Through either kind of networking, you are gathering perceptions,
facts, and nuances about each other.
In either case, you need to know what you are going to do before you get
to the networking event or online community. Preparation is key, and your goals
should be reviewed before each activity.
I’m sure you see people who go out with the intention of networking all
the time, who ultimately do a terrible job of it.
Rita: Give us some examples of what you
commonly see out there.
Chuck: There are more examples of bad
networking than of good – and the definition of bad is mainly in the eye of the
beholder. If your intent is to use networking to gather a lot of sales leads and
then use a systematic follow up plan (one that had been thought out before the
event), then that may just be your style. I disagree with this style, but if it
is handled in a professional manner and permission to follow up is obtained, it
may work for some. This style is used more by people who do not know how to
effectively network and build business relationships. We have all seen the
impatient business card stuffer – the one whose eyes shift constantly, business
card at the ready, only paying attention when they think they are registering a
"pain" point, so they can show you how they can "solve" your problem. They then
ask only superficial questions and then launch into a elevator pitch right out
of the can to "convince" you that they have a solution for all your
ills.
There are the more sophisticated, skillful bad networkers who get you
excited about how they can help you at the beginning of your conversation with
them, but upon being queried as to how they can "actually" help – end up selling
you their product or service – or worse yet will only buy from you if you buy
from them. Then they will build a "relationship" with you. This group is worse
than the first because they give business relationships, networking and referral
based marketing a bad name.
Rita: What do you think they should be
doing differently?
Chuck: LISTENING! Genuinely caring about
the other person – building a relationship – or not. You may not be able to
connect with the other person at any level and you need to develop the skill to
know when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. Throwing good time after bad time is
a waste of time. Disengaging politely takes experience and patience.
Rita: Explain the concept of Pay it
Forward
Chuck: Pay it forward or paying it
forward refers to repaying the good deeds one has received by doing good things
for other unrelated people.
In Ryan Hyde's book and movie it is described as an obligation to do three
good deeds for others in repayment of a good deed that one receives, and that
such good deeds should be things that the person cannot accomplish on their own.
In this way, the need to help each other can spread exponentially through
society, creating a social movement with the hopes of making the world a better
place.
It is also sometimes described as being "good for a favor", meaning a
willingness to help others (even strangers) on the expectation that it will all
come back around in the end.
When I talked to you in the past, having not studied this book, seen the
movie or read the hype, I meant that my "pay it forward" philosophy was based on
a couple of philosophies. One, that "what goes around comes around" IF YOU JUST
DO GOOD THINGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE, GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU! If you do to
others what you would have them do to you, your life will be more fulfilling. My
philosophy does is not or was not based on others doing something good for me. I
have a lot of people to "pay back"; however, since that is not possible in all
cases, you could say I was paying back by paying forward all the time.
Rita: So to sum up, what are the top 5
tips you would give a new networker.
Chuck:
- Have a plan, set goals, be specific but flexible, before each networking
event. How many people will you try to listen to? Who are you looking to partner
with, etc. Networking is work – it should be fun – but it is work!
- Buy Bob Burg's "Endless Referral" book, or better yet get his CD Set
"Endless Referrals" and learn how to work a room. Or any other "networking
Gurus" plan on how to work a room. Practice this before hand and modify it to
meet your needs, but don’t just go to an event, spread your cards and pray. Find
the centers of influence, learn how to approach them, maximize your time.
- Listen, listen, listen – find opportunities for others and they will find
them for you. Show a genuine interest in the other person. If, for some reason
something about them turns you off, move on, graciously to be sure, but move
on.
- Be yourself – learn from experience – and watch what others do.
- Speak slowly, distinctly and passionately about what you do.
I found the interview with Chuck to be fascinating, in that online networking
is actually very similar to offline networking. The thoughts that came to mind
for me were:
- The purpose of networking both online and offline are basically the same for
most business people. The goal is to develop contacts to build mutually
beneficial relationships.
- I fully agree with Chuck in that we need to humanitize relationships,
whether they are created online or offline. If you meet someone online that you
really want to network with, get to know that person, listen, and be genuine.
- When Chuck talked about the systemized approach to following up on leads (
autoresponders, bulk emails, etc.), I thought about how we really need to
further define online ‘networking’, as it is not the same as online ‘marketing’.
Online networking is about building mutually beneficial relationships. Online
marketing is more about the sales process. I’m sure many of you are on emails
lists, and receiving daily or weekly emails from marketers that add a personal
‘flair’ to their message. It might sound personal, but it’s typically a one way
street. That marketer does not even know who you are. He knows nothing about
you, other than that you may be a potential client. You are part of a list. It’s
not networking. They are not going to make a personal introduction for you to
their network.
- It’s important to have a plan when you network online too. Which online
social networks should you network in? Who do you want to meet? Who are the
centers of influence?
- When Chuck mentioned some examples of bad networking, such as the person
spewing out that elevator pitch and passing business cards to every person they
see, I immediately thought of those folks who try to spam online communities.
When you see a post of "This is my product, please buy from me," it is pretty
unattractive. It will turn people off. Instead, it might be better to provide
helpful information, and attract people to you instead through your signature
and tagline. You want to stay on topic to other people’s discussions, and
comment in a way that adds value to their conversation.
- I love the pay it forward concept. It works online too. Look for
opportunities to help other people. Things come back around in their own way.
Whether networking online or offline, good networking comes down to building
mutually beneficial relationships. It’s all about listening, learning, and being
genuine.
Rita Wilhelm
My Blog
A few of my websites are:
SnapMonkey.com , PetBoogaloo.com and
GiftBasketMessageBoard.com
|
