I received a message via Twitter about my recent article, The BIG Mistake That Means Networking Doesn’t Work. The person said she agreed with the article, but thought people may take the advice 'don't dive in' as an excuse for doing nothing.
My main point was that people often start networking with no end in mind. Put some thought into what you want and then get out there and join some networks. Find those groups with other business people who operate in similar markets to you. Commit to investing the time to develop relationships and create a network of advocates.
Many people miss out by not joining a group or joining much later than they should. If you put a little bit of effort into identifying the right places to network up front then you can join in as soon as you find them. If you attend a group & leave it for a few months before joining you are missing opportunities.
One thing is absolutely certain. If you do nothing you will get nothing!
Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
'Don't dive in' is not an excuse for doing nothing
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1 comments:
Dave,
I agree fully with both your original post and the follow up.
If I may add one more point which is that before just 'diving in', people need to understand the conventions and etiquette of the environment within which they plan to network.
For example, like most networks, LinkedIn works on a symbiotic basis where members understand they need to put value in if they expect to get benefit out. This means participating in discussions and sharing knowledge, through which members can build their profile and establish their expertise.
Despite this you still get a regular flow of annoying ‘spam’ posts from people who have not understood the conventions and who simply post ads. This just annoys genuine members while also destroying the profile of the poster, who will no doubt be the one goes on to bleat that networking doesn’t work!
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