| Let's start with a quick reminder: | | | | contacts know. |
| Networking is NOT forcing yourself or your products | | | | 4. Vary your activities. |
| on someone. | | | | Grow your list of contacts each week. Start now and |
| Networking IS getting to know people, their lives, and | | | | do not stop. If you're planning to hit several networking |
| their needs. | | | | events in a single day, make sure you take time out to |
| Networking is NOT selling your products and services | | | | recharge. Plan your schedule so that you have periods |
| at every moment. | | | | of solitude. Also... guard against scheduling a full day of |
| Networking IS being progress for the people you | | | | networking activities if you plan to network at an |
| connect with. | | | | evening event. You're after quality, not quantity. |
| Networking is nothing new. Most of our relationships | | | | 5. Successfully let go. |
| began through networking and referrals. Heck, Paul | | | | As you and your network grow, you will need to make |
| McCartney met John Lennon through networking. | | | | some changes. Let go of organizations and |
| One of the steps in effective networking is to Open | | | | associations you can no longer maintain properly, or |
| Face-to-Face Relationships. This involves creating and | | | | that are no longer relevant. Without forgetting where |
| sticking to a networking strategy. | | | | you came from, allow your network to evolve with |
| Here are seven tips to consider: | | | | you. |
| 1. Proactively seek the right new contacts. | | | | 6. Have a goal for each event. |
| Develop your plan of action and get started without | | | | Decide what you hope to gain before you go. Write it |
| delay. Identify who you want to meet, where you are | | | | down. Then get there and work toward it. Commit to |
| likely to meet them, and how you will follow up. Invest | | | | staying until you have met and connected with your |
| quality time thinking about the people who can best | | | | predetermined number or selection of people. Think |
| offer you the right information, contacts, and | | | | about it. Set a target and push yourself. This will keep |
| opportunities. Build relationships with these people by | | | | you from walking aimlessly around the room. |
| understanding what you have to offer them. | | | | 7. Keep a log. |
| Start by asking yourself: Where are the best places to | | | | For a month, keep a log of everyone you meet. Then |
| make face-to-face contact with them? Answering this | | | | classify and analyze them. Which contacts are most |
| question will help you decide which organizations you | | | | valuable? Where did you meet them? Who are the |
| should belong to and which events you should attend. | | | | takers and who are the givers? Any time-wasters? |
| Important point: The organizations that are the best fit | | | | Hey, your time is valuable too. |
| will change over time as your business grows and | | | | Crack the Networking CODE. |
| your career develops. | | | | Be Progress (TM). |
| 2. Go with realistic expectations. | | | | Recognized as a 'Sales-and-networking guru' by the |
| You are (probably) not going to land a big account or | | | | Dallas Business Journal, Dean Lindsay is the founder of |
| forge an automatic strong link from a five-minute | | | | The Progress Agents LLC ( - a seminar company |
| encounter. Networking takes patience! Networking | | | | dedicated to empowering progress in sales, service, |
| takes persistence! Come to terms with the fact that it | | | | and workplace performance. |
| is probably going to take more than one meeting for | | | | Dean's best selling book Cracking the Networking |
| folks to come to the conclusion that you are amazingly | | | | CODE: 4 Steps to Priceless Business Relationships |
| with -it and that you offer progress for their lives. | | | | has been endorsed by a who's who of business |
| In fact, it has been proven that it takes most people six | | | | leaders and performance experts including Ken |
| to eight progress-based impressions to remember and | | | | Blanchard - author of The One Minute Manager, Brian |
| begin to trust a new person. | | | | Tracy and Frank Bracken, the President and COO of |
| Keep firmly in your mind that networking may not | | | | Haggar Clothing Co. |
| provide immediate benefits. It may take years to see | | | | Jay Conrad Levinson - the author of Guerrilla |
| the results of your networking efforts, or you could | | | | Marketing, thought so much of Cracking the |
| open your e-mail in the morning and have a cool | | | | Networking CODE that he wrote the book's foreword. |
| opportunity from someone you connected with the | | | | A cum laude graduate of the University of North |
| day before. | | | | Texas, Dean presently serves on the Executive |
| 3. Start with people you know and trust. | | | | Advisory Board for UNT's Department of Marketing |
| Shy? Nervous? That's understandable. Start with | | | | and Logistics. The Dallas Business Journal selected Mr. |
| people you know and trust. Share your desire to be | | | | Lindsay as one of D-FW's Rising Stars Under Forty in |
| introduced to quality individuals who would be good for | | | | The Business World Today in their yearly Forty Under |
| you to know. Get connected to the people your | | | | 40 list. |