5 Networking Tips for Executives
People often mistakenly believe that executives must all love to be out and about, moving confidently from one networking event to another. Senior executive networking conjures up pictures of smooth, outgoing, gregarious professionals “working the room” with style and grace.
While this picture is often correct, there are many senior executives that simply dislike networking, typically feeling highly uncomfortable in these environments. Yet, all know that these events are a necessary component of the business world.
Business Networking a Necessary Socioeconomic Reality
Whether you are a top management executive that enjoys or dislikes networking, you probably realize its importance in the fabric of business. There are those that believe that business networking is a much more cost-effective technique to increase marketing opportunities than expensive advertising or massive public relations campaigns.
Whether you are an executive in a massive global company or a more modest local business, networking is part of your job description. Smaller organizations can focus on the local or regional business community, while larger companies can even use the Internet to further their larger scale networking efforts.
Face-to-face networking, usually the most effective option, seems to be the format in which executives either revel or encounter problems. While most experienced professionals understand this reality, there are many for whom “schmoozing” is a challenging concept.
Author Dorie Clark addressed this subject head-on in an article, “Networking Advice for People Who Hate Networking” (BNET, May 2011). Clark suggests some tips that help the “anti-schmoozers” complete their networking necessities more successfully.
How Senior Executives who Dislike Networking Can Still Succeed at the Task
Even those executives that are not networking fans understand the strategic, marketing, contact, and public relations benefits that arise at these events. Here are some common sense suggestions to make your next networking event more successful, without the necessity of a wholesale makeover of your personality or philosophy.
- Avoid the “power imbalance” by having people come to you. You might believe, as others do, that you lose some power when you approach another to introduce yourself. However, if you take a leadership position in the Chamber or your favorite trade associations, people will approach you to meet and greet.
- Prior to the event, establish a goal for the number of people you’ll meet. As a successful executive, you are most familiar with the power of setting reasonable and measurable goals. Use that expertise and comfort in your networking efforts. Set a goal before each event to speak with a reasonable number of new people—three or four should be manageable and non-threatening. This approach will keep you focused and on point.
- Collect as many—or more—business cards than you give. Exchanging business cards is always a consistent function at networking events. However, many less experienced attendees focus on distributing cards, assuming the recipients will treasure them. However, reality tells us that you are fortunate if your card survives the evening. Collecting business cards, conversely, allows you to control the future of this information, to be used as you see fit to enhance your company.
- Follow up by keeping in touch with new contacts you make. Just as many job candidates forget and eschew this important, logical and effective step, even experienced networkers neglect to follow up with new networking contacts. Making new, potentially important contacts can be rendered useless if you don’t follow up. You must commit to keeping this potentially rewarding friendship alive and well. Stay in touch with your new network acquaintences.
- Stay real and in the moment. Don’t expect to cement a valuable new relationship from one chance encounter at a networking event. Never assume that any brief interlude and contact made at a networking event generates a serious friendship. Any perceived friendship would be shallow and superficial, at best. Stay in the moment and treat new contacts as potential future sources of business or other support.
Whether you revel in networking or seriously dislike the environment, the effort can be wildly important to your company and, often, to your career. Every friendship, acquaintance or influential business supporter, begins with, “Hi, I am [fill in the blank]. I’m happy to meet you.”
History reinforces that even seemingly innocent associations, like Bill Gates and Paul Allen or Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, can lead to incredible business success. The wonder is that you never know how a networking contact might affect your professional life.
These tips should help you minimize the anxiety or uncomfortability you might feel during networking. You can now feel more at ease and more effective when performing your necessary networking appearances. Maximize your strengths as a successful executive and minimize your apprehension or dislike for networking events by using these suggestions. They work.
