For Your Success
Making the most of your networking opportunities

Your network is all around you. Family, friends, current and previous business associates, teammates, association members ö the list goes on. The key is for you to use your time at meetings, events, conferences and social gatherings to develop relationships. Meet as many people as comfortable for you and establish a rapport with them, then later contact them or the people referred to you by them.

Aside from your family and circle of friends, joining networking groups or associations, such as PBFN, is an ideal way to expand your networking circle in a targeted manner, and one of the easiest and least expensive ways to develop a good base of contacts.

The most obvious benefit of joining a networking group is that you meet or find out about potential clients, customers or contacts. But, networking groups, particularly those that focus on specific professions, also allow you to informally continue your professional education. Conferences, problem solving, brainstorming and sharing new ideas ö networking groups can help foster your personal and professional development.

Finding a Group
You can find networking groups in a variety of ways. Search the Internet using your city and profession as keywords. Scan local business journals for lists of local mixers, lunches and tradeshow events. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce. But the best source of networking information is networking itself. As you meet people, ask them if they know of any local networking groups. Visit those and you'll no doubt hear about others. Most groups have some sort of dues and there may be a one-time sign-up fee.

Commitment
Paying membership dues for an organization is the first step. Once you find and join a group, take the commitment seriously. If there are regular meetings, plan to attend. Then, start thinking about how you can help other group members. The goal is to develop your network and allow the learning to continue beyond the meeting setting. Over time, people will begin to trust you, and will introduce you into their inner circle, where real business is conducted.

Tips for Successful Networking
Networking isn't about instant gratification - it's about long-term success! Relationships -- business and personal --need time to develop. The following are some networking tips to get you started examining your existing network, as well as some general networking and contact follow-up tips:

1. Write down a broad list of contacts. Think of people knowledgeable in your field, well connected and/or willing to talk. Maybe your neighbor has a friend in your line of work. Maybe you're changing career direction.

2. Contact each person on your list with whom you'd like to meet. Ask yourself what you can actually gain from a conversation with this person. Are there answers you could learn from this person that might clarify your market research? Do you want to learn more about a specific company? How to progress in a particular field?

3. Develop a concise message about your business or yourself that explains what you do. Test this message on your family, friends and associates making sure to test it on someone not overly familiar with you and/or your business. This will help ensure your message is understandable and concise.

4. Get the business cards of the people you meet. A good idea is to jot down the specifics of your conversation on the back of the business card, including the event details and any referrals immediately following the event/meeting.

5. Always carry business cards. If you have one, always carry your business card. If you donāt already have a business card, consider visiting a local printing store or an online printing company to create a general business card with basic contact information so that the people you meet will know how to reach you.

6. Maintain a record-keeping system. In whatever format works best for you include the following information on each contact:
   • Who referred you
   • Name & title of person
   • Referrals, if any
   • Company name, address, phone and any other pertinent numbers
   • Date of each phone call and/or meeting
   • Topics discussed

7. Find a way to follow-up and communicate with the contact in the near future. If you come across an article you think may be of interest to someone in your network, clip it and drop it in the mail. Hear about an event that may be of interest to members of your association? Let them know. Don't skip this opportunity to be in front of your contact's eyes once again.

Ready to try out your new networking skills firsthand? Attend the Player Networking Eventś sponsored by OverTime Magazine on Friday, February 4, 2005 at Super Bowl XXXIX. Contact Melissa Gillespie at office@pbfn.org to find out how.