Hands down the #1 way to market your business is through networking.

It has been said, and I am sure you have heard, that your net worth is directly linked to your network. True!

Or that Networking is an art and a science. True as well…the art of conversation and the science of a follow up process.

We all go to networking events, social events, and community events to meet new people, add them to our contact list and our LinkedIn or Facebook ‘connections’.

But there lies the fallacy – contacts are not connections.

It is easy to collect business cards, names and email addresses, and add them to a spreadsheet or CRM. But that is not networking.

To be effective you need to focus on quality of connections, not quantity of contacts.

It is right in the name – Networking takes WORK. It is a VERB not a noun, and work takes effort. The point of doing the work is to create a Circle of Influence.

Lackadaisical actions will not provide you with the return you want from the time and money you spend on it. You can’t attend events just to check it off the list, or for the fun of it, and expect results. It takes intentionality.

But here is the exciting part – when done right, Networking is all the marketing you will need to do (period). Then your other marketing efforts (social media, advertising, etc.) simply provide credibility rather than needing to increase lead generation.

When Rodger and I started Network Build Grow it was primarily to build a network of people around us as a ‘pond to fish in’ for our primary business – working with speakers to increase their influence and exposure.

Now NBG is so much more – to so many more people. It has taken on a life of its own and provides a ‘home’ for many businesses to network and grow their own Circle of Influence. It is still the #1 way we grow our businesses, attract people to us, gain leads, referrals, and strategic business alliances.

Here are 8 tips to have your Networking efforts provide the return you desire.

Change your mindset

When you attend an event, it matters where your mind is. If you are going into it wondering what you will get out of it you will fail, every time. Instead, go into it with a mind of abundance, of sharing, and be focused on what you can provide and give others (outside of what you do for a living).

Yes, it can be about sharing referrals, leads and business, but more importantly it is about sharing ideas, information, resources, and advice. It should be an exchange of intellectual capital as well as an opening up of each other’s networks to each other.

The purpose of meeting others is to share, to connect, not to ‘sell to’ or take from, not to gather as many names as you can, and certainly not to withhold information you have that could help them.

When done well, you begin to be an influence on others, not just another face in the crowd. They will remember what you said, what you gave how you made them feel, and how freely you shared.

Bottom line – they will remember you and will want to be connected to you…not just a contact on each other’s lists. You will be building a Circle of Influence not just a network.

Stop Giving a Report and Start Building Rapport

Most introductions (elevator pitches) are a fact report about who you are and what you do. Most conversations center around facts.

Facts don’t build rapport. Never have – never will.

Work hard at having a real conversation with the people you meet. Find the common ground. Find things that you can follow up on or with. Be an information detective. Be on the lookout for them to say something that you can grab onto, explore deeper, or even help them find a solution to.

Listen, ask questions, get to know the person not just the business owner/employee/professional. We are all people – with likes, dislikes, hobbies and interests, opinions, and emotions. The more you tap into those the stronger the connections will be.

If you want to be remembered, be unforgettable by having a memorable conversation!

Be Them-Focused not You-Focused

Yes, you are there for you. But if they feel that way in talking with you, then that will be the first card they toss in the trash and the first email or phone call they will ignore.

This includes being aware of any judgements you might immediately make. For example, thinking something like, “no way this will be a fruitful connection for me”, or “I don’t buy into what they do for a living so I want to get away from them as soon as possible”, or “what could our businesses possibly have in common”.

News flash: You don’t know. A seemingly not-connected-to-you-in-any-way could end up providing you the next big client or introduction to a Golden Goose of referrals. You don’t know.

Every person in your Circle of Influence doesn’t have to be your next BFF or star player on your referral team. Seek out a diverse mix across many industries, backgrounds and socioeconomic factors, race, age and gender, those just getting started to seasoned professionals, and a myriad of experiences and personalities.

Have Business Card – Real Ones

I get it, we live in a digital age and the ‘new thing’ is to have a digital business card. Which is great – but here are the downfalls:

I don’t have a physical reminder of meeting you to prompt me to follow up. If I simply scanned your QR code and added you to my contact list on my phone, I may not remember your name (or that we added you) after meeting 20 other people that day.

I have nothing to take a few notes on to jog my memory of what we chatted about, what I may have promised you, or my thoughts about how we can continue our connection.

If I don’t have business cards of my own, I can’t make a note on the back of it before I give it to someone. I often do this in order to give suggestions of a podcast, or a book, or a resource, or something of value to them. When you write on the back of your card, the likelihood of them keeping it increases tremendously!

(note: make sure your business card is blank on the back, is a light color, and is not ‘coated’ so that it can be written on by you or by them)

Be Fully Present

Put the phone away. Treat a networking event (even a social or community event) like an appointment with a client. You wouldn’t answer your phone or check an email in their presence. You would give them your full and undivided attention.

Do the same for the people in the room. They deserve it too.

You may never know the cost of allowing yourself to be distracted or interrupted. Why take the chance? Personally I find it, at the least unprofessional, and at the worst, rude. Either way it leaves a poor impression.

If you are waiting on a big important call…maybe skip the networking event and attend next time.

Be Findable

One of the most frustrating things I encounter (pretty often) is the inability to find someone I just met on LinkedIn. You need to be ‘findable’. If your new connection can’t find you on LinkedIn then you lose credibility and, quite frankly, you might not be taken seriously.

Even if your ideal clients and customers are on Facebook, if you are a business owner you need to have a LinkedIn presence. It establishes you as a ‘real’ business and this is where you will connect with and find good strategic business alliances and referral partners…and clients!

Think of Facebook like the White Pages and LinkedIn like the Yellow Pages.

It is where people go to look for people that can solve a problem they have. If you are not there, I guarantee you are missing out on great connections and opportunities.

Be sure to have a complete Profile on any and all platforms you are a part of…including your NBG Profile. It is great if they find you, but if they still can’t call or email you easily they will move on to someone they can.

Follow Up with Everyone

Last week we had Happy Hour, and there were a few guests there. A couple days later I was following up with the guests and one expressed that he was extremely disappointed that two of the people there had not followed up with him.  He actually said, “I guess they are not go-getters”. Which basically says he lost respect for them and doesn’t see them as genuine business owners.

At first, I was a bit frustrated with the members he referred to (at NBG we talk about Follow Up a lot!). But then I realized – follow up is a two-way street.

If he felt so strongly about wanting to connect with them, why didn’t he just reach out? Instead of blaming them and using that as an excuse to not WORK at building his Circle of Influence, he (and we) should take responsibility for the follow-up and make things happen.

Follow up is everyone’s responsibility, but our actions are the only ones we control. So don’t wait for them to call or contact you – if you want to expand your network and your influence then don’t play the game of ‘is he going to call – and if not, he must not be serious about his business’ – because maybe that is what the other person is thinking about you – since you have not reached out either!

Having a solid follow up process is non-negotiable. NBG has several articles and past Signature Event videos (available to members in the Video Library) on the subject of creating a follow-up process. Don’t rely on your memory – schedule it, make a check list for it, whatever you have to do to make it happen. Yes, it is that important.

Celebrate those in your Circle of Influence

Be diligent about checking their social media posts. Like, share and comment often. Celebrate their successes. Provide value when needed and be encouraging and available.

Finding and showcasing true joy in other people’s accomplishments and milestones, giving credence to their thoughts and ideas, or simply acknowledging that you ‘see’ them goes a long way in building rapport and connection.

It is in the little things where we are remembered.

Keep in mind that every interaction does not owe you something, and every value you give does not require reciprocation.  

When you do receive value from someone in your Circle – give thanks. Privately and, if appropriate, publicly. It shows your appreciation and that is a basic human craving – to matter and be appreciated.

“Blessed are those who give without remembering and take without forgetting.” – Elizabeth Bibesco

Networking is WORK, make no mistake about it. Building a Circle of Influence through that work is the ultimate outcome you desire. From there – all good things abound.