At last week’s Coaching at The Corner, we had a lively discussion about networking and how to make it less intimidating and more enjoyable. Yes. It can even be enjoyable!

Here are the tips we discussed:

1. Stop selling, and start helping. For some reason, people think that when they attend a networking event, they need to sell their businesses or sell themselves. It doesn’t work that way, Margaret! No one will buy from you on the spot without having had some trust built. It is better to see how you can help others — it doesn’t have to be about your business, either. Just help them. It starts a connection that can be built upon later.
2. Focus on the other guy (or gal). Stop thinking it is about you, and take the approach that the other person is just as or more important than you.
3. Be curious about others. Once you’ve mastered #2, it opens the door for you to be truly curious about others. People are interesting! Try to find out something new about the person. You’ll be surprised, and this is one of the ways you can truly enjoy networking with people you don’t know well, or at all.
4. Listen to understand. I love this Stephen Covey challenge. When you’re asking questions, LISTEN to the answers. Try to understand rather than respond. People appreciate good listeners, and this opens the door to start building a relationship you didn’t have before…
5. Be authentic. While all this is happening, be yourself. Say what you mean. Be interested in what interests you. Truly listen, and care about the response. Authenticity is noticeable, and even more noticeable when you’re not. And it is just plain easier.
6. Follow through. After you’ve had a conversation with a new connection, follow through. If you said you’ll send him or her a link to a great article, send it. If you promised to call someone to get a question answered, make the call. This becomes the next step in building a new relationship
7. Networking this way can be and IS fun. It is better to have one or two interesting conversations than to collect 20 business cards, so “have at it!”

If you’re interested in more, we have several audios available for immediate download on this subject. Our best “deal” is the Networking Bundle, which includes three great audios. Or you might be interested in one of the three, No Fear Networking, How to Develop a Great Elevator Speech, or How to Build a Referral Engine that Roars. Check ’em out here!

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