We've all heard the expression "it's all about who you know" in some form or manner at least once. We all probably have different opinions on how much your network plays into the advancement of your professional life. We all have networks of varying sizes and degrees in our personal and professional lives.
I aim to ramble about networking. Here we go.
I often thought:
"Meeting new people and trying to make acquaintances for the purpose of financial gain (ultimately) seems disingenuous. I don't want to pretened to be friends or like other people just in case I can leverage my connection with them."
Networking can be genuine. By being genuine, you will network with other poeple you find interesting, and not necessarily because of their status or what you can gain from them. This means you will connect with people in your industry/niche/discipline, your levels of success will be roughly the same, and both parties will find the relationship valuable. Tongue in cheek smiles and feigning interest to try to force a connection will end up badly.
Guys and gals, life is short. There's a lot of amazing and interesting things to experience in life, but talking with even the tiniest fraction of the billions of people on earth is definitely worth it - People are interesting. Sure, not everyone will be interesting to you, but you should be naturally focusing on people that do. And sure, you may not be an "A" type personality - but that doesn't mean you can't be interested in other people and their work. I would be very surprised if you DIDN'T want to talk with and learn from other people trying to do the same or similar thing as you. You won't be friends with Bill Gates, but you can learn valuable pieces of information from almost anyone you meet.
I believe it's more about quality than quantity. You don't need a huge network of 100+ people. It's great if you are a graphic designer and only have graphic designer connections, but what if you had taken an interest in chatting with the python developer who's father needs a new logo done for his law firm?
Your network isn't everything and doesn't replace work ethic or product. It will just make your life as a business owner feel less lonely, make you more knowledgeable, and open doors for you. No amount of friends in management will get you a job/contract if you are bad at what you do.
How?
Be amicable and respect other people. This is a great rule to live by anyway.
If you want to "start" networking, just be inquisitive and friendly! Do it in person, on the phone, email, etc. and tell people why you think they are awesome, and ask them questions! People love telling their story. The internet has made this process very easy. Like someone's website, product, etc? Tell them and then ask for some time to chat. If you both find some value in your conversations and relationship, you both win! If either of you doesn't, that's ok!
Networking isn't a job - It will happen naturally due to your genuine interest in other people's work. You just need to reach out. There's not many things you can do to speed up networking besides going to conferences and meetup groups. One of your most beloved connections might be a friend of a friend that you happened to meet while shopping for a new refrigerator.
I urge you to go out and talk with people that are interesting to you.
TLDR; People are interesting. Life is short. Connect with people that interest you. It's invaluable to business.
Submitted August 24, 2017 at 12:58AM by 0verwork http://ift.tt/2wz2m1F Entrepreneur
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