CHAPTER 20
Keep Your Networks Active
The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.
Chances are you’ve returned from a party, networking event, trade show, or conference with a handful of business cards, spread them across your desk, and asked yourself, “Now who was this person? And why do I care?”
You don’t want to fall in that category for someone else. Your challenge: Stand out from the crowd so others recall your conversation and remember you as a strategic connection from the get-go so that when you need to call on them with a question, they know who you are. How difficult is that?
You might want to test your own recall. Consider the last three networking opportunities you’ve attended as you answer the following questions. By networking opportunities, I’m referring to events that you chose to attend for the express purpose of intermingling with likeminded professionals—whether to discuss a topic, celebrate an event, learn something new, hear a speaker, or present your own product or service. The event might have been a trade show, an industry conference, a civic meeting, or a holiday party.
• Estimate the total number of people who attended all three events. __________
• Of that total number, how many people can you recall meeting personally? __________
• Of the people you met personally, how many people can you still name? __________
• Of the people you can still recall by name, how many could you recall well enough to refer them to an interested customer, supplier, or friend for potential work? __________
If your answer to the last question is “Not many,” then you understand the real difficulty of making yourself memorable to others and keeping your network active.
WHY KEEP YOUR NETWORK ACTIVE?
Salespeople know they bring more to the negotiating table than their sales skills. In fact, financial advisors often speak of the “book of business” they’ll be bringing to a new employer, as if they had their clients packed in their briefcase. In the workplace, whether in sales, HR, or engineering, your professional network represents a key asset to both you and your organization.
The benefits to you personally include:
• Resources in the industry to validate and discuss new trends
• Recommendations for suppliers who perform consistently at a reasonable price when you don’t have time to go through a long vetting process
• Recruitment of the best job candidates
• Referrals on equipment, software, and project management processes that others have tested and that you need to put into use quickly
• Referrals on quality training or speakers
• Quick answers to questions when you don’t have time to go through “proper” channels
• Job searches when you’re ready to make a move—either internally or externally
Second, your network benefits your organization. The more you can “work your network” for information and leads, the more money you save your employer. No matter what position you hold, your organization expects you to keep your network active.
WHO TO INCLUDE IN YOUR NETWORK
That depends on you and where you work, of course. But most professionals will want and need these people in their network:
— Industry experts or consultants in and out of other organizations
— Counterparts in other departments/divisions/regions
— Suppliers who service your industry
— Friendly competitors
— Contacts at client organizations (three deep—your contact, your contact’s boss, your contact’s boss’s boss)
— Contacts at your own organization two levels above you and two levels below you
— A marketing specialist
— A social media specialist
— An attorney (generalist)
— An intellectual property attorney
— A financial advisor
— A CPA and a tax specialist
— A Realtor®
— A physician
— A spiritual counselor
You’ll notice that this list gets personal toward the end (IP attorney through spiritual counselor). You’ll need these people in your network for decisions that arise about ethics, health, investing, compensation structures, investment opportunities, stress reduction, personal relationships, and life balance. All of these personal concerns obviously affect your work life.13
HOW TO KEEP YOUR NETWORK ACTIVE
Having names in your database or cell phone does not equate to keeping people active in your network. The question becomes, Will these people take your call at 7:00 a.m.—or at least return your call or email within 48 hours? If not, consider them inactive. So how do you keep them from going inactive?
• Serve. Give of your time. Get involved so your name is on people’s minds. Volunteer for committees. Go to work for a charitable cause.
• Become a resource. Send along articles or links to blogs, books, or ezine subscriptions in specialty niches they may not be aware of on topics of interest. Provide data that you think would interest them.
• Provide introductions. Two colleagues of mine pass along an introduction to me at least once a month—someone they think would benefit from my coaching on executive presence or book writing and marketing. And they pass on such introductions for others as well. For them, “cyber-introductions” have become a habit.
• Be a sounding board. Occasionally, call to ask what’s going on and then listen, show sincere interest, and offer ideas. Phone calls have become a rarity today, and people appreciate the attention—as long as the attention is for the other person’s benefit, not yours.
YOUR BIGGEST DANGER: DECLINING VALUE
Bank accounts, according to federal law, go dormant if no transactions occur during a three-year period, and the assets are turned over to the state. For lack of a little activity, your portfolio value declines dramatically to zero.
Likewise, for lack of a little activity, your portfolio of contacts can lose some or all of its value. How do you know when your network has begun to decline?
• Fewer calls for your advice or opinion
• Fewer requests for introductions to others
• Decreasing social media engagement
• No references by peers to your comments (not being quoted here or there in meetings)
• Fewer requests to present sessions or participate on panels at industry conferences
• Fewer guest invitations to community or industry events or celebrations
• Fewer media requests
As these contacts grow more and more scarce, fewer and fewer people hear your name linked to your area of expertise. As people leave their organization to join other firms, you gradually lose connection to your network for information, top talent, and industry trends.
Leaders understand the strategic importance of an active personal network. Maintain meaningful communication to keep your network strong, expand its reach, and increase its value.