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The Best Methods For Building Your Professional Network

Posted: 29 Jul 2015 06:21 AM PDT

One of the main advantages of building your professional network is that it can open new doors of opportunity for you.

It’s great to study strategies and tactics, and to become knowledgeable about your industry, but it isn’t always about what you know as much as it is who you know. Who you know can really transform you, and have a hand in making you more successful than you ever imagined possible.

Faceless corporations are not the decision makers; people are. Influence is going to come from building trust with those people.

So, here are the best methods for building your professional network.

Meet A Lot Of People

Talk to any successful entrepreneur, and you’ll discover that they make meeting people a part of their regular routines. There’s just no way around it; you have to network if you want to be known and to get to know others.

But your networking efforts still have to be a natural extension of who you are. It may not feel comfortable at first, but you’ll want to get it to the point where it feels effortless.

Networking must become a no-brainer. When you’re meeting a stranger, you need to see it as an opportunity, and begin to chisel away at your discomfort and anxiety.

So make networking a lifestyle. When you get it to that point, you’ll stop worrying about how nervous you are to meet new people.

Give & Add Value

A lot of people go into networking hoping to get something from others. Unfortunately, this won’t help you to make a positive impression.

The foundation of good networking is rooted in value. What value can you offer others? How can you help them?

When it comes to connecting with others, a giving mindset is really important. It’s completely counterintuitive, but you should be willing to give without expecting anything in return.

You’ll be amazed at how your influence grows when it’s apparent that you’re there to serve. Nobody likes an emotional vampire.

Don’t Play The Comparison Game

In your networking efforts, you’re probably going to come across competitors and people that are more successful than you. How you handle yourself in those situations will speak volumes of your character.

Refuse to play the comparison game. That’s going to stop you from meeting and connecting with people that may be able to give you useful advice. A quick conversation could even turn into a partnership down the line; you just never know.

Rise above the temptation to nitpick, criticize, and belittle others. Instead see their success as your success. If they can achieve, so can you.

Compliment, encourage, and lift others up, even if you don’t feel like it at first.

Treat Others With Respect

In your networking efforts, you’re probably going to exchange contact information with a lot of different people. However, a business card is not an invitation to spam them mercilessly.

If you’re connecting with likeminded people, odds are they are just as busy as you are. They don’t have a lot of time for idle discussion.

It’s a very good idea to follow up with the people you meet, but you shouldn’t necessarily send them an email the moment you get back to your desk.

Consider how you can add value to them first. If there’s a mutual benefit to connecting, then they will always welcome future interactions.

Be Yourself

It’s such trite advice that it’s almost not worth mentioning. However, being authentic is really important to your networking efforts.

Your tendency might be to live two different lives; one at home and another at work. But shifting between personalities is both tiring and insincere. People might have a harder time connecting with you if you aren’t always you.

Building relationships is easier when you are yourself everywhere you go. You don’t have to think about who you need to be in a certain situation.

The value you bring to any conversation is much clearer when you are true to yourself.

Hold Nothing Back

You don’t have to look far and wide to know that today’s conversations – especially online – are an exchange of value. There may have been a time when people held back from revealing their secrets, but today, information is shared more freely than it ever was in the past.

Going back to what was said about value earlier, you have a tremendous opportunity to give away valuable insights to others, through conversation as well as social media.

Show the world how you can bring value to them. Make it clear what you do and how you can help others.

Use Social Media To Network

Trade shows, industry events, conferences, and other gatherings provide plenty of opportunities to build new connections. However, you shouldn’t underestimate the value of social media in networking.

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are among the best places to start. You can’t be everywhere all the time, so a focused approach is definitely recommended.

When you meet new people, you can be proactive about asking them if they are on Facebook or Twitter. This is a fairly immediate way of growing your online network.

You can also reach out to people directly on social media if it makes sense to do so. You can let them know how you enjoyed their latest blog post, or invite them to be on your podcast as a guest. There are a lot of different opportunities here.

Conclusion

From Meetup groups and online forums to volunteering and hobby clubs, there are plenty of places for you to network. However, location, setting and technique is less of a concern compared to how you handle yourself.

Do you love people? Do you like adding value to others? Do you have a desire to help and serve those around you?

Even if you are shy, there is a great deal of value to be gained from building your professional network. Getting out of your comfort zone is never easy, regardless of your temperament. Just be willing to introduce yourself, and don’t worry too much about the interactions that don’t go well.

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