Networking doesn’t have to be something that you hate.
But if you hate it, that means you probably haven’t really tried networking, or you don’t know how to do it right. So, let’s make networking something that you love. Let’s make networking something that makes you feel excited and energized every time you engage.
You can learn how to network with any career. But networking is particularly important in the business world where you spend more time away from your desk than in it.
It’s Not About Getting Connected To People; It’s About Connecting With People
One of the biggest challenges of networking is learning how to connect. When we talk about connecting with people, we generally mean connecting with other people for business purposes.
You see this all the time in our business world. We see salespeople trying to connect with potential customers. We see writers trying to connect with book editors or literary agents.
This is the traditional approach of networking.
Unfortunately, while networking does help you build connections with people, it doesn’t necessarily make you a better writer, or a more successful business person.
In fact, you may even find yourself being approached for networking purposes by people who you shouldn’t even bother talking to.
For starters, networking is a sales process. It’s not a way to interact with potential clients or business partners.
While the purpose of networking is to connect with others, you shouldn’t use it to make sales. If your only motivation for networking is to get sales, you’re going to be frustrated and disappointed when you try and connect with a potential customer.
It’s important to understand why networking works, so you can use it to your advantage.
Here are some examples of why networking helps you accomplish goals in your writing and business life:
- It helps you find your audience.
One of the most important parts of your marketing strategy should be to find your target audience. In the same way that we wouldn’t consider someone for a job if they didn’t share some specific interest in the position, networking gives you a chance to build a relationship with someone who shares similar goals and interests to yours.
Networking allows you to meet potential clients, colleagues, and partners without having to go through a sales process first. It also gives you a way to test your idea of the kinds of people that you want to meet in your field.
- It helps you generate leads.
The key benefit of networking is that you never know when you might be able to turn a casual conversation into an opportunity. Even the smallest conversations can lead to big opportunities, so you should always keep an open mind and be willing to take risks.
Even if you end up meeting a potential client or colleague on a social media site, or at a networking event, you should always ask them about themselves to see what else you can