Networking round-up: Is networking “pay-back” time?

Networking is a business activity. It’s about meeting people for the benefit of your business – but also other people’s. It’s not about how many people you know; it’s about connecting with the right people that will eventually provide you with additional business. Another way of saying the same thing is: It’s not what you know but who you know.

The trick is to go networking with a helpful attitude and outlook. Think about how you can help the people you are meeting. Do you know someone who could be key to the success of their business? Can you connect them to an ideal customer?

Jonathan Farrington addresses the ‘What’s the point?’ by talking about personal goals of networking and how networking is actually a filtering process. Networking is a skill. Given that a majority of us have probably been on a first date at some stage, Dorothy Tannahill-Moran likens the process as a comparison because it is simply about developing relationships. Jeff Archibald says that too many people think about their own personal goals and not those of the people they are meeting; he says “Stop Networking and Start Helping”.

James Clear at Passive Panda says it is not about ‘pay-back’. If you do a favour for someone, they are not honour or duty-bound to repay you. In this post, James outlines the goals of networking and provides some clear tips on how to get it right.

So, let’s get out there and treat networking as a way of helping people. It’s about making the wheels go round.. Ah! I have written about that before.

I love hearing and reading people’s networking stories. Please send me your blog posts of networking tips, hints and tales about building relationships, and where these connections have led. I would love to hear them.

So, until next time, thank you!

About Lindsay McLoughlin

Lindsay McLoughlin has a love affair with social media. She combines these tools to great effect with her other big love – blogging! She runs a copywriting, blogging, editing and proofreading service at www.proofedbylinds.co.uk She writes about business, about topics of national interest (eg. Olympics, Royal Baby). She also writes an interview blog profile series called “Writer meets…” and sponsored blogs for her business clients. She loves talking to and interacting with anyone that will “listen” over social media. Check out her blog at www.proofedbylinds.co.uk or connect with her on social media. She’d be delighted!

Lindsay McLoughlin

Tuesday 4th of February 2014

Thank you, Alice. Great to hear from you on networking roundup. Thank you for your advice. You're absolutely right about networking and blogging both taking (lots of) time and energy, before they start paying dividends.

Mama and More aka Zaz

I like your comment about networking being akin to a first date. Whenever i meet someone workwise, I always mention the term "mutual benefit" within the meeting. It's important to remember that we're not there to fleece one another and the best possible outcome is that any work results in benefits for both sides. When it comes to blogging, I think that there is a certain amount of reciprocity, but to lay it out bluntly or even to expect it would be as distasteful or as vulgar as to do so on a first (or second or third!) date.

Hi Mama and More... Thank you very much for your comments. Lovely to hear you like my comments about networking being akin to a first date. Indeed they are! However, I was not sure what you meant by your second comment. If you are referring to the times when you might comment on someone's blog and then expect them to reciprocate, I would agree. In addition, if a blogger was to lay out this reciprocation request blatantly at the end of a blog, I would also agree.

I think it is perfectly all right to have informal friendly agreements with other bloggers to comment on each other's blogs. Also, on blogs where eg. CommentLuv is available, bloggers can comment with the added benefit that their latest post is automatically added as an invitation to hop over and have a look.

I am all for commenting on blogs as it's about conversation and promoting relationships, so invitations to comment (without reciprocation) at the end of a post are perfectly in line with this type of thinking. I have made numerous online friends through their comments on my various blog posts.

Again, glad you liked the post and thank you very much once again for your comments.

Abby Boid

Wednesday 29th of January 2014

Great ideas and thoughts here. I once worked for a really reputable firm who made no apologies that they were their to make money. The fact that when you were sent on a sales course, they never mentioned sales but how to help clients work out what they needed, and more importantly make sure you never sold them anything that they didn't Need was really quite inspiring. It took the mystique out of networking - it's just about targeted but honest relationships, many that led to great ongoing friendships.

You're absolutely right, Abby. Networking is about establishing meaningful, long-term relationships that will ultimately lead to business - either through them or through them it the people they know. Thank you very much for commenting.

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