Goal Setting and Networking
by Bob Young biz2biz connections
biz2biz news - January, 2012

Last week I started the year talking about goal setting. In this article I want to expand on that thought for this NEW upcoming year of 2012, with some thoughts for our continued success.

I truly believe that networking is an art, and like any form of art, to do it correctly it takes thought, creativity, planning and then practice. I mentioned thought... yes, thought. Think about what you want out of your experiences within the networking community and always remember it is called net"working".

Then, how about some creativity. Do you want to be like everyone else blending in with all the others, or do you want to be a little different, a little more memorable? Your choice.

Try to go to the meeting on purpose, not just showing up. This is where those goals come into play. Go in with a plan to meet two new people, or set at least one appointment for a one on one or maybe do a follow up relationship chat with a specific person. Make sure you communicate your value added benefit. Whatever you decide, decide to do it with a plan backed up with "written down" goals.

Now, strengthen your plan with practice. Practice your elevator pitch or self introduction - not just for your 30 seconds of fame, but even when you're working the group - Practice your questions you want to ask for discovery and starting the relationship process. When - Why - How?? At this point learning is more important than teaching.

Remember, you are like Johnny Appleseed going in and spreading seeds of relationships, seeds of business, seeds of success. After planting, TIME for nurturing and developing need to follow. The length of that TIME is directly proportionate to the TIME you spend doing the above. I said learning. Well, one very important item to learn is if you even want to build a relationship with this new person. They could be very good at what they do, but are they someone you would like to bring into your inner circle. Do you LIKE them?

There are, of course, many other traits of a master networker. But if you will work on these first few you will find more success and probably more fun with your time investment in the world of networking.