As a busy executive with a fulfilling personal life, you probably do not prioritize business networking as an important activity to meet new contacts. There are just so many appointments involving so many people that it is difficult to think about meeting even more people, right?
Even if this seems logical, it is very wrong when you consider that, anyway, we meet lots of new people every day and this doesn’t alter our schedules, and also that if you do not expand regularly your circle of acquaintances, you could be jeopardizing your chances for business growth and success.
If you know 200 people, and your contacts know another 200 each, we’re talking about 40,000 potential leads right at your fingertips. You surely don’t want to miss your share of info on a good job, more clients, an opportunity for a deal, a writing assignment, an investment break, or the best bargains, among many others.
Business networking is one of the most valuable activities you can engage into, and it is easy to become good at it; you just have to remember this rule, which is applicable to any kind of networking or any other kind of encounter: be open to learn more about each person you meet, be willing to help, and offer to stay in touch.
Networking helps you enhance your communication skills by encouraging friendly conversation. Even if you don’t develop a relationship with someone, that person will remember you as a nice individual, and will say so if asked in the future.
If you are a very busy person, limit your networking events to those crucial for your business. Take advantage of every single casual contact you have during the day, and take more business cards than you give out so that you can control the timing for developing relationships. While networking online, focus on your topics of interest and contact strategic people based on their profiles. You can search for people who work in a specific field, live in a certain city, or happen to be experts on key topics, and they will probably acknowledge you because you both belong to the same communities.
As you can see, there is no such thing as no time to network. There are many options to choose from without sacrificing your personal or business time while at the same time ensuring you are meeting people that will most certainly put you ahead in the business game.
