Why You Never See NETWORK WELL, OR HOW TO NETWORK That Actually Works

See more: what is IT consulting services

How to network well? How to grow your network? How to develop your networking? How to build your network in a sustainable way?

Until 10 years ago, "networking" was limited to participating in some festive and/or sporting events with people who could influence the level of business activity. It was mostly about physical encounters.

In the age of Facebook, LinkedIn, networking has taken on a new dimension and is more than ever a central business issue. Sometimes it's hard to find yourself in front of all the current possibilities of networking.

So how to weave his canvas? Here are 3 actions to network well!

Become aware ... of the different levels of networking and their impacts.

Today, we talk about networking all the time. According to LinkedIn profiles, most professionals, even beginners, have a network that extends to several hundred people. Are they so "intimate" with all these contacts? Can they boast of being commendable by each of them? You can identify 3 levels of proximity within your networks, depending on the ability of your contacts to recommend your services:

The "distant": those who know that you exist,

Your prescribers are those with whom you have or have had real and satisfactory exchanges. The "far-off" will rarely advise your business and will, therefore (almost) not sell. 

See more about: IT Security How it 

According to the famous American sociologist Mark Granovetter, the strength of the network lies paradoxically in the weak links (simple knowledge), and not in the strong links (friends): it is by soliciting the weak links that one has the most chances to obtain interesting information.

Networking well is not limited to accumulate contacts on social networks and to search the quantity. To network effectively, it's best to focus on who can become your prescriber and bet on quality!

Choose ... the right channels of networking.

We can differentiate two great ways to generate contacts for who wants to extend his network:

Social networks and virtual platforms,

Physical meetings via events, shows, local interest groups, business clubs.

The virtual vector makes it possible to extend its all-around visibility. Multiplying contacts helps to become known but they do not necessarily result in frequent exchanges and/or sales.

The physical meetings are also used to make themselves known, often at a level more local. They have the advantage of allowing you to make the difference by your way of being, your sympathy ... and thus to better mark the spirits. In this sense, they can be more commercially efficient.

Any networking vector is therefore interesting for different reasons and according to your objectives. None should be dismissed outright.

Prepare ... before networking events.

There are different opportunities to expand your network or do live networking:

Participate in exhibitions/events dedicated to entrepreneurship,

Join workplaces to share or coworking spaces,

Join groups of interest (women entrepreneurs, group of entrepreneurs from her region, alumni ...)

For each of the events you will visit, it is essential to set goals: do you want to meet specific people, present your activity to as many people as possible, meet potential partners, find prospects, etc.? Only if you know why you are going to an event do you give yourself a chance to be satisfied in the end?

Do not leave without your communication media ... but keep in mind that networking is not about distributing business cards to everyone. You will be more likely to be contacted if you target fewer people to talk about you and your services/products, but they are "good people" who may be really interested.

Finally, to network effectively, practice pitching (see the article "How to pitch effectively in three questions?").

Become aware, choose, prepare ... these are the 3 keys to extend your network in a targeted and effective way, without wasting time!

Source: Network Security Assessment