Networking: Why it’s Important
People used to think that networking was something you did in a MLM scheme. A lot of people never associate networking with something done in all types of businesses. Take a look at your current job; who do you interact with on a daily basis? Vendors? Fellow employees? Outside recruiters? Friends? That’s all networking. You are doing it whether or not you realize you are doing it.
Some people think they can’t network because they are shy, or introverted. I saw pfaw to that! Because they do it every day at their workplace, church, club, or picnic! They might call it fellowshipping, or homeowner’s association meeting, or board game club meeting, but it’s all the same. When you talk to someone in an online forum you are networking. When you talk to a vendor on the phone, you are networking. When you go to a trade show you definitely are networking!
For a small business, networking is key to being successful. Say you have a good customer and you want more like them. Well, just ask for some referrals. That’s networking. What about using a particular vendor? Ask your customers or even your competition. Many times they’ll gladly refer a vendor to you, especially if it’s a good vendor.
In a lot of these business blogs, or blogging-for-money sites, you see the authors asking for comments and feedback. They are networking with their reader base and trying to increase the traffic. The blogrolls you see on the side of a blog is networking as well because it’s hobnobbing with other folk that have the same interests as you.
Then there are the social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, etc. that are hugely popular with the tweenies, and younger generation. Those are potentially huge marketing and revenue streams that companies are just now trying to capitalize on. On the other side are the professional networking sites like LinkedIn, and Plaxo (and others) that bring professionals together without all the bling (for the most part) of other sites.
Still think you have no network? Just open up your e-mail address list or your IM friends list. Start there. It’s up to you to do something with that network. Be it looking for a job, helping a friends business by sending customers their way, or just learning what someone does.
Networking is not evil. It might take you a little bit to warm up too, but you are doing it already. Just change your though process.
