6 tips to get your networking “hustle” on

I’ve been sharing stories with a lot of other businesses lately and there is one common theme that keeps coming up — the level of networking and hustle you’ve got can make the difference between “making it” faster or slower.

In my experience you actually know more people and have access to more opportunities than you think you do. You just haven’t worked out how to build and activate your networks yet.

Here are a couple of hustle ideas for you budding businesses out there.

1. Go to all the networking events and conferences you can.

Especially in the early days. Even if they might not seem obviously relevant, give yourself a goal for each one. It might be that you get a few business cards, you might learn something, you might meet one person who can introduce you to someone amazing, you might actually meet someone amazing, you might meet fellow entrepreneurs to add to your support network or you might actually make a sale.

I recently attended a number of really specific events for Kiwi Entrepreneurs in the US (c/o Kiwi Landing Pad) as well as some mega size start up conferences. It was really cool to go with some fellow kiwis and share stories, tips and tricks, and also to see the sheer scale of what US conferences have to offer. We heard some inspirational stories from some pretty amazing people from massive start ups that I have admired from afar for a long time. Highlights were from Jason Fried from Basecamp at Startup Grind and Jay Simons from Atlassian at Saastr Annual. I came away with a whole lot of really useful contacts and ideas that I would not have otherwise had.

2. Ask everyone you know for referrals and introductions, but be specific.

I’ve had to hone my skills in this area as I used to just ask for introductions but with no context. People do want to help you, but you have to understand that their reputation is on the line and so specifics can really help. For example try asking for an introduction to someone in their networks who can answer a specific question you have or who is an expert in your field.

I’ve found overwhelmingly everyone of these introductions likes to give you an opinion, and then it is up to you to maneuver your way to getting something useful from the meeting. I was visiting various cities in the US recently and again I leaned on our networks there (Big thanks to KiwiLandingPad and NZTE). And I let everyone in my social channels know what I was up to. I received a lot of support from friends and family.

3. Never stop nuturing your networks.

Be prepared for some of those early leads and meetings to take a long time to pay off. We started Weirdly 2 years ago and I was doing 20–30 meetings with potential customers a month. I have continued to nuture (read “hustle”) those relationships all this time and they are just now all starting coming home to roost. It feels fantastic and so worth it. So don’t give up on the hustle.

4. Remember to give back — it’s not a one way street.

Leveraging your networks is about giving back as much as it is about receiving. So the quality of your relationships is super important. Being “present” when you’re interacting with people (new contacts and old ones too) is a skill you need to really practice. It’s all too easy to just sell/tell your story when you’re speaking to someone. But asking what they do and really listening is key. Then asking them how you can help them is very powerful. It feels good when you can help another business.

5. Networking isn’t just about face to face.

I’ve been a fairly late adopter of using social channels for growing my networks. I’ve learned that you have to choose the channels that suit you, your personality and the time that you have to commit to it. Twitter has just started to work for me. But it took over a year to build up. Linkedin works to a degree but I find that publishing blogs is where I get the best quality interaction rather than the daily feeds. Facebook messenger has started to work really well for my global relationships. Instagram has been slow moving but we are B2B. I think it might be better for B2C brands. I just cannot get the hang of Snapchat.

Whichever channel you choose you need to remember to dedicate time to social every day. It’s usually a long pay off, but once you hit critical mass it can really be useful.

5. Always be on the hunt for opportunities that can give you a bit of “leg-up”.

Weirdly was recently picked up for a Shoulder Tap Programme c/- BNZ and Kiwi Landing Pad. This came about because we were at the right stage to make the best use of the assistance. The focus was to help new high potential businesses with breaking into the US, And because we’re out at everything, and speaking at lots of events and our brand is strong. But this all took time to build up and without all the earlier hustle we might have been overlooked. These types of programmes give you a little bit more confidence when making those very expensive and a little bit scary trips abroad.

So having “hustle” isn’t just about walking up to strangers at a networking event and asking them to buy you. It’s about quality interactions with everyone in your network in lots of different ways.

What has worked best for you?