Networking for the Person Who Hates Networking - Part II

In Part I of this post, I talked a bit about Thom Singer's book, Some Assembly Required: How to Make, Grow and Keep Your Business Relationships.  In this second post, I complete the list of those hidden jewels of advice from the book as well as discuss a recent networking seminar I attended. 

More helpful hints from Thom Singer's Some Assembly Required:

• Become known for thoughtful, memorable gestures and unique events.
• If you have a large network and no one is helping you then it's not a network.  You may know a lot of people by name but you have not succeeded in building true relationships. [BWP: as Thom so rightly points out, just knowing people is not enough.  You must have a real give-and-take relationship to have a network.]
• Seasoned networkers enjoy finding ways to assist others; they like to connect people and watch the results. [BWP: being a "connector" is powerful, profitable, and rewarding.  As Zig Ziglar said, 'You can get everything in life you want if you'll just help enough other people get what they want.']
• Skilled networking makes good professionals great.   

I recommend Thom's book to anyone interested in the topic of networking.  It's a quick and easy read that contains several ideas that would be helpful to you.

The best piece of information I received from the "Purpose-Driven Networking" seminar I attended earlier this week was a question to ask when meeting a new contact and that question is:

• "How can I know if someone I'm talking to would be a good prospect for you?"

This question is from Bob Burg and it could be the key question that sets you apart from everyone else and communicates that you are indeed interested in the person you are talking with.  Caveat: ask this question only after you have been talking with this person for a while and have established rapport.

Think about all the questions you typically ask when meeting someone.  This one is definitely worth trying out ... and then the answer is worth remembering.   It is a way to begin a relationship and it allows you to learn more about the person and their business.  Over time, once a trusted relationship has developed, look for ways to refer business to that person.

Conclusion of this discussion:  Think about these helpful hints and how they might assist you in building and nurturing your network.  Then act on them.  Don't let another day go by without reaching out to someone in your network.