I have no doubt – it is a person.
In these times of change and upheaval and OPPORTUNITY, the people we come into contact with can shape our future more than ever before.
Networking is becoming more and more popular and understandably so as more people realise that they are in charge of their own futures, they cannot depend on a stable job anymore and it is PEOPLE, together with action on our part who open doors.
However, it must be recognised that to be effective, one has to view networking as a long term investment. Networking is about creating relationships and the most valued relationships do not happen overnight.
I have just read about the results of a survey conducted with 12.000 people by the founder of the worldwide networking group BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner, in which it has been discovered that the most important factor in determining whether you would be recommended to a contact is YOUR CHARACTER.
The conclusion of the survey is that our credibility as a person is more important than whether someone has tried the product we sell.
And how do we improve our credibility?
By going back to basics of course, to those characteristics and values that somehow got lost in the materialistic fevour of the eighties and nineties but now are starting to be recognised again:
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Responsibility
I have been networking intensely for the past 3 years and recoginise that all the changes that have happened in my professional life recently have ocurred via effective networking. If I had to sum up “effective” networking in three short sentences or tips they would be:
- Listen with genuine interest to the person you have just met
- Ask questions
- Follow up with a personal meeting with those people who you feel a connection with
Remember – your most important resource requires care and attention!
