Networking to win

Want to become a master networker? According to networking guru Robyn Henderson, it’s not something you do, it’s something you live.

Her advice for those wanting to improve their networking skills is pertinent, practical and easy to apply. She certainly knows her stuff. As such, it was a pleasure to hear her speak at an HRINZ event last week and pass on some of the pearls of wisdom she so willingly shared.

In essence, networking is about building trust. Three golden rules she gave at the presentation were:

1. Give without expectation
2. Maintain an abundance mentality and
3. Reciprocate – even if it’s not to the person who’s given to you (pay it forward and back)

She also gave a fourth tip which makes a huge difference to how you approach networking:

4. Act like the host and not the guest

People enjoy being around interesting, convivial people. If you act like the host and not the guest and make others feel listened to and welcome, you’re a long way towards becoming a master networker. You’ll find out more about who they are and the challenges they are facing and therefore be in a stronger position to provide contacts and solutions for them, even if those solutions have nothing to do with you directly.

Robyn’s advice regarding whether to attend an event not so much by its topic or speaker but by who’s likely to be attending was a nugget too. That’s partly why it’s called net-work, not net-sit, net-yawn or net-eat. For productive networkers the speaker and topic are a bonus!

According to Robyn, given that more than 85% of business is generated directly from referrals and recommendations in most businesses, it’s certainly worth capitalising on this widely under-utilised source of income.

Imagine one client’s value is worth, say, $500 a year to you and you have 50 clients. If half of them (25 clients) recommended just one other person that year and they become a $500 client, you’ve just benefited from $12,500 extra revenue at no cost to you! And this is just one-off sales, not repeat sales … Puts the investment in on-line and off-line networking tools and groups into perspective doesn’t it?

Robyn’s produced many excellent books on effective networking, all of which are available from good book stores or her website: www.networkingtowin.com.au. The title of her book ‘Network or Perish’ pretty much says it all.

If you get the opportunity to hear her in person, make sure you do. I can highly recommend her!