Grow Your Professional Network

Intro

How to Grow Your Professional Network

What is a professional network and how do you get one? Networking is about building genuine relationships with people in your industry or your community – these relationships lead to referrals, advice, mentorship, and support when you need it most. Trust me, as a business owner, you so much support you don't even realize. Unless you have other business people that you've surrounded yourself with, then they don't know what you're going through.

Some of my greatest friends have come from meetings and networking groups over 20 years ago. We still have great friendships and we still refer each other to different things. And you’re always “Hey, I know this person!” and they would treat you right, and you have that relationship with them and it's the same way with you.

So, why is it important? It's crucial for your business, growth, and success to network – you just have to do it. Nowadays, using LinkedIn, Facebook groups, and other industry forums, you can engage in discussions and share valuable content to help expand your network. For example, back when I started networking in 2000, before ‘98, when I started networking, Facebook didn't exist. And you know, all the interactions. You can network with so many people. I mean, globally, you can network with people and be able to sell your product or sell your service worldwide now. Whereas before, you weren't able to do that. It would take a lot for someone to be able to network or to afford to advertise or get those connections.

You can find mentors in these groups as well. So they will offer guidance, advice, and support based on their own experiences. A mentor can provide valuable insights to help you navigate challenges and introduce you to key contacts. Sometimes people you would never think to meet might be the perfect person for you to do work with. When you're networking, and I know it's always a little bit nervous when you're doing in-person networking to go and go in there the first time by yourself and you don't know anybody and you feel like people are staring at you. Well, of course, they're staring at you. They want to meet you because they know how amazing you are going to be as soon as they know who you are. So, always be ready to tell somebody what you do, and a little bit about it. But if you want to start talking to them, ask them what they do, and then break the ice. That way it relaxes you so much more. You want to focus on providing value for others, rather than solely on what you gain. So, listen, offer assistance, share your expertise, and be willing to help others with their goals.

Building a reputation can strengthen your network over time. And after making new connections, be sure to follow up with them to nurture those relationships. You want to make sure you nurture them. You send them a personalized message or email expressing your appreciation for the connection, and suggesting ways that you can stay in contact or how you might be able to collaborate in the future, something will come up after you leave there. And you'll be, “Oh, I wish I would have told them that. I do that all day every day!”

When you're talking about meeting them, always, but not necessarily for networking, but whenever we would do a new system(or something like that) for our air conditioning business, I would always handwrite a thank you note to our customer. I was always brought up that handwritten thank you notes are the bomb. I would encourage giving handwritten “thank you notes” – these are kind of a thing to the thing of the past, but it’s authentic. I mean, we still do it, but not as frequently. So, reach out to them, and you can do it quicker through email or whatever. But be authentic and reach out to tell them thank you so much for taking the time to talk to you about them, then add their business, and you would love to meet them again. You want to be genuine, transparent, and approachable in all your interactions with others.

Don't just stand there at the networking with your arms crossed and closed off. Keep your hands down and relax. If you have to keep something in your hand to keep you from doing that, then do that as well. But when you're networking online, you can do that as well. Networking online is a little hard sometimes because it can take a while before you see something come to fruition whenever you're meeting someone. You just want to continue to add value, offer support, and people are more likely to connect with you if they feel like you're sincere and trustworthy. Just like growing your business; growing your professional network takes time and effort. You want to be persistent in your networking efforts, but you also want to be patient. Building meaningful relationships doesn't happen overnight. Just like when you start dating somebody, it doesn't just happen overnight, or when you marry somebody, it doesn't happen overnight – it takes time, persistence, and work. You want to stay committed to nurturing your network over the long term. You want to be actively engaging in networking activities to build genuine relationships so you can expand your opportunities, gain valuable insights, and position yourself for long-term success as a business owner. Because in business, you need others so that you can be successful and you need to help others so that you can be successful as well.