10 Secrets To Effective Business Networking

Going through the infinite amount of books on Networking, it’s easy to notice that most of them focus on making the process easier, enjoying yourself while getting to know people. And while this approach might work for some people, others would criticize it for lack of efficiency. This is where the other outlook on the whole process comes into play.

Setting goals

When you view networking as a task with a clear goal, e.g. finding the right business partner, you set certain expectations. What they will take care of, what they can handle, how they will fit into the existing concept. In a way, you have to work like a recruiter and separate potential partners from the crowd.

The clearer the task, the higher the chance of finding the right person. Classic professional qualities have to go hand in hand with certain chemistry. If you expect to work often with your partner, or get a more productive result, you certainly want to like them.

Jillian Darlington, the founder of the app MomCo, has found her business partner in an online networking community. This is how she describes the process: “We immediately clicked and were the perfect team because our skills complemented each other. After three weeks of working together, Beth approached me about investing and becoming a permanent part of MomCo. That is when she became my co-founder and we have been two moms on a mission ever since.”

This example proves the point very well — the click factor may prove vital to a successful partnership. However, even with genuinely nice people, there is no guarantee that they are right for the project.

So get a list of what qualities you want to see in a partner. How would they handle a conflict, how do they relate to the job they’re doing, how much do they care about their job. Invent potential scenarios, play them out and make a note of the best possible result.

Needless to say, you have to be critical of yourself. In any business there are tasks you shine at, and those you find to be complicated. An ideal partner should be your other half, someone who can handle what you can’t.

Handling networking events

In an ideal world you would be able to approach someone directly, and ask the right questions, and the person would be prepared to answer them. These opportunities are rare, however with the platforms like Connect.Club or Lunchclub there is a higher chance of attending an event with similar goals in mind. Again, the process reminds of a job interview, but on more equal grounds.

Right off the bat, this lifts the tension of having different social roles. Social roles are the part people play as members of a social group. With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role. McLeod, S. A. (2008). Social roles. Simply Psychology.

Unless you specify this beforehand, someone would always adopt a lower social role, which limits the potential of a fruitful conversation. When you both assume the same position, you have the freedom to present yourself naturally, and quickly estimate the person in front of you, gaining a clear understanding of the possibilities of a partnership.

For you this means being ready to lay out the benefits of working with you, and the other person is expected to present their own case in a similar way.

Most often this is something that event planners have to take into account, but since most events will focus on speakers and learning, taking care of our goals becomes our own headache.

Here are some tips on how to make these events work for you:

• Have a clear understanding of what you can offer and what you want in return
• Keep in mind the qualities you want to see in a potential partner
• Don’t spend time on small talk that doesn’t benefit you
• Try to spend less time socializing with your existing acquaintances
• Have a set of questions, that relate directly to your understanding of an ideal partner

Handling social events

When you attend a networking event, chances to get to talk business are high. Everyone is there with the same goals, to expand their professional circle, to find new useful contacts. However, any other social gathering would imply a more casual approach, and in this case identifying someone’s qualities may be a more difficult task. In this case potential conflicts that you have outlined earlier will come in handy. There is an option to describe the issue and ask someone to help you out, just so that you could see their professional qualities in action. On social events many people have their guard down, so you might get a glimpse of how they would most likely resolve an issue at hand. While this might be a less than forward way to separate the best potential partners, it sometimes is more effective.

There are some tips on how to handle networking on social events:

• Let the person introduce themselves, let them lead the conversation for a while
• Never jump right to the business part, navigate through conversation slowly. This will also help building a psychological portrait of your potential partner
• Include others in the conversation, to see how the person would interact with them
• Don’t miss out on learning how the person communicates with employees, this knowledge can prove useful if they become your business partner
• Always have the important questions ready

Make socializing work for you

Any event, any meeting is an opportunity, but the task has to be viewed like a mathematical problem that needs solving. Having a clear understanding of what you’re looking for allows you to approach the process step by step.

You attend an event > approach the person > get to know them > reach a decision.

However, probably the most useful tip would be the last one. You have to know where to compromise. Because at the end of the day, there are no perfect people or ideal partners, people grow just like you do, and there will be mistakes. But what matters is how they’ll be handled by both you and your business partner.

Connect with me via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmitrymishunin/