6 Tips for Effectively Building Your Professional Network

You’ve heard it said time and again, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”  Through the course of your entrepreneurial journey you’ve no doubt learned the truth of this statement.  Maybe it was a professor who encouraged you to take the leap in the first place.  Maybe your neighbor helped with the initial business plan or your aunt invested some pre-seed capital.  I know my personal history has repeatedly proven the value of people and relationships in achieving success, no matter how large or small the objective or goal.

For me, growing that network of support and strengthening those relationships has always come fairly easily, like I was born to it.  My Grandma Louise was an avid antique dealer, a.k.a. hoarder with a title.  Nearly all of her descendants, my children included, still appreciate stuff.  When I was a kid, my first cousins collected matchbooks and pencils and bottle caps.  I had collections also, but it was widely known then, even as it is now, I favored collecting people.

I never thought much about this hobby and certainly wouldn’t have considered it something I could teach.  Recently, however, I heard Dr. Diana J. Wong, President and CEO of Sensei Masters, reference the difference between explicit and implicit knowledge.  Implicit knowledge, she explained, is all the stuff you know that you don’t realize you know.  It’s the culmination of your personality, your experiences, and your informed circumstance.  It becomes ingrained and you use it unconsciously, so you don’t think about it when you’re inventorying your skills or expertise.

Dr. Wong’s encouragement to take stock of our implicit knowledge, got me thinking about all the times people have commented on this hobby, or rather this gift for attracting and growing my circle of interesting and supportive friends & colleagues.  And I decided then she was right; I should share what I’ve found to be true.

So, here are my 6 Tips for Effectively Building Your Professional Network.

1.        Create Possibilities

Be active.  Finding time for business networking and industry events is challenging for all professionals, but especially difficult for the do-it-all small business owner.  It’s critically important, however, to put yourself out there and create opportunities for telling your story.  Select carefully and with discretion, but commit to joining key organizations and make event participation a strategic priority.

And don’t forget, chance encounters can lead to great things.  I initiate conversations with strangers in all situations.  As a result, I met one of my very dearest and best girlfriends in the baby swing aisle at Toys R Us.  And I’ve met InsYght clients on public transportation, at community events, in the grocery store, and during music festivals.  Networking possibilities are endless if you consider all the people you encounter every day as potential partners, clients, funders, or friends.

2.       Prepare

Meetings that don’t rely on happenstance provide a different kind of opportunity.  Let’s go back to networking and industry trade events.  I recommend making the most of your precious time by preparing for those in advance.  First, ensure the targeted audience matches your own interest and objectives.

Then, whenever possible, research attendees ahead of time so you can set goals for interaction and maximize your time.  Don’t be afraid to ask organizers for a list of registrants, sponsors or exhibitors.  You won’t always get it, but you never know until you ask.  If personal privacy is a concern, you can ask them for some general idea of the organizations represented, etc.

Learn what you can about individuals and / or organizations attending.  Look for common ground like alma mater or professional affiliations to warm up your introductions.  You might even make a cold call in advance asking to set an appointment for a face-to-fact at the event.  At the very least, familiarizing yourself with your expected audience will make your more comfortable and confident during the event, thus leading to more opportunities.

3.        Find Common Ground

During all these conversations, those you’ve either carefully planned or initiated spontaneously, look for some common ground, something to give the relationship a start.  It might look and sound like small talk, but simple questions can be the best way to start this.  Add a few of these to your repertoire:

Do you have any pets?  What are you reading?  Did you play any sports?

Showing interest in people, and identifying common interests, roles, and affiliations, encourages dialogue and builds trust.  More simply, but just as importantly, it gives you a lead-in the next time you connect.

4.        Take Notes

To aid that process, I always write little notes about whatever will help me remember the people I’ve met and talked to.  This can start during the investigation process before a networking event, as mentioned above, or can happen immediately following, while the encounter is still fresh.  Use a business card or speaker bio, if available, so the information stays with the contact.

Make a note, if you can, about each new person you meet and what you talked about or heard them say.  He’s a cyclist; she has a motorcycle.  Their son is graduating from LSU or their daughter’s taking the LSAT.  She rushed out to her niece’s dance recital or he went home to watch the Wings.

Notes can include other little tips to help you remember people also.  I have event attendee lists that say things like, “sat at our table for lunch; chatted in the buffet line; introduced by Sam, attended breakout session on packaging,” etc.  The next time you reach out to them; use this intelligence to re-ignite the connection.

If this sounds a bit like finding common ground, that’s not an accident.  Again, remembering these little things helps you connect with people on a personal level and builds trust and camaraderie.

So does doing what you say you’re going to, so take note of those promises and commitments as well, i.e. send a recipe we talked about or make an email introduction to a contractor.  This helps me keep it all straight when it’s time to follow up.

5.       Follow-Up

Like anything else, all this effort only matters if you get results & you won’t get results if you don’t use the information you’ve collected to some avail.  Sending a personalized note or email to the people you’ve met reminds them of the meeting and keeps the lines of communication open.  Be sure to include a comment from your notes, so it’s obvious you were really listening and were invested in the exchange.

Like anything else that requires your time, this step can be challenging and is easily put off or pushed aside.  But, I would argue, it’s the most critical step in effectively building your network.  Think about it.  If you’re too busy to stay connected, they probably are too, which means neither of you will make the effort and the potential partnership, sale or friendship will fall by the wayside.

6.       Stay in Touch

Provided you followed the advice herein and found some common ground, and provided you also followed up, you will have established a solid baseline of rapport with your new friend.  To build on it and strengthen the relationship further, you need to stay in touch.  There are plenty of ways to do this, of course, and the specifics might vary from person to person.

One thing I’m known for doing regularly is sending tidbits of news related to someone’s industry, articles about their competition, or email introductions to parties of potential interest to my contacts.  Here again is where your notes help.  How else will you remember to send the bicycle meet-up & ride event to the cyclist or a “whoot – whoot” shout out to the Wings fan when they win the cup if can’t recall those conversations?

Thoughtful gestures like these don’t just help you make friends.  They establish you as a resource to your professional contacts.  And when people need products, services, guidance or other sources of help, where else would they turn?  Why to a respected and trusted colleague, of course.  To you.

So there you have them; six Tips for Effectively Building Your Professional Network.  They’re more like the things you learned in kindergarten than rocket science, but these tactics have proven effective in helping me collect a vast and strong network of trusted friends, colleagues and customers, who time and again have supported my efforts, boosted my chances, and ensured my success.

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