What Even is Networking?

Today I’ll take a minute to talk about what business networking actually is and what the viewpoint going in should be to maximize its success.

Business networking is so much more than popping in once in a while and handing out your business card. It’s the art of establishing actual connections and relationships. As we all know in our personal life, relationships take work, they take some effort and nurturing. The same is true of business relationships.

You can’t expect someone you spent 15 minutes with a month ago to refer you to all his friends. 1, he won’t remember you without prompting and 2. You aren’t really even real to him. He may have heard you and communicated with you at the time, but that doesn’t keep you real in his mind. You have to build that.

And that is what business networking is really about. Taking the time to build actual relationships with other professionals. This way they WANT to refer you to their friends, family and clients. They want to help you, they want you to succeed.

And this is a two-way street. You should really care about the other person too and want to refer them and want to see them succeed. If the problem is that you don’t really care, then more communication is needed. Communicate with him until you actually care about him and his success. Then continue communicating with him ongoingly in order to sustain that relationship and that level of mutual connection.

Networking is about doing this lots and lots of times with lots and lots of people. EBN is about getting you all in front of each other so you all have the opportunity to establish relationships with each other. Right now, look around and find someone here that you haven’t really connected with, someone who isn’t really real to you. Done that? Good! Now make a note to yourself to set up a 1:1 with that person this week.

We have the potential here to really grow all our businesses, let’s make the most of it!