Networking or Selling Yourself

April 20, 2010 beautycf2010

By: Jean-Luc Tahou, MBA, CFP

We have all heard how important networking is for one’s career or business. It is a lifeline as it helps you uncover opportunities, meet potential clients, business partners or additional sources of referral. It also helps business owners establish a presence within their communities.

Networking done right consists in building a web of connections that one can tap into when necessary.
It can open doors and lead to the right people. It is also important because it allows you to put your products/services on the map. After all, what good is it to have the best product if nobody knows about it? Effective networking makes people want to do business with you, help you or even be associated with you. It is not so much about who you know anymore, but who knows you. Therefore, having a mastery of the networking process is necessary.

Unfortunately, a lot of people take it too far. We have all met him/her. The one that cannot stop talking about him/herself as soon as the introduction is made: How good they are, how many awards they have won, which celebrities they work with, etc. They are so busy self-promoting that they do not even try to ask you what it is that you do. When meeting one such overzealous self-promoter, I couldn’t help but wonder what type of business relationship we could build. Wouldn’t they focus on being the center of attention? A couple of minutes into the exchange, I was already plotting my escape towards the nearest exit.

Such individuals tend to forget the cardinal rule of networking: it is an exchange. Granted, it is important to clearly outline what you do to other people, but it is even more important to find out what they do. In doing so, you can figure out how you can make an overture towards them first, which will make them even more likely to scratch your back: start by giving them a great piece of advice, introducing them to someone they could work with or suggesting potential sources of referral. The idea is to make them feel good about what you have to offer and what they can do for you. Trust me, building up goodwill with people always serves you well over the long-run.

In closing, I want to share a quote summarizing this posting:

“Networking is about building relationships first, and if you’re authentic, the promotion is a natural evolution. Relationships of any kind are like a teeter-totter. If one person keeps all the weight on their side, it’s not very much fun for anyone.”–Sonya Shelton, Executive coach

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