In an increasingly connected world where distances no longer become a problem and you can have clients and contacts with anyone anywhere in the world, networking has become a common practice for both entrepreneurs and the world of work. . But, What is networking?
If you are still not clear about this word that is heard in many formal and informal events, or everything that this term entails, then you have to take a look at what we have prepared for you.
What is networking
Networking can be defined as the activity that involves an increase in the network of contacts of an entrepreneur. In other words, we are talking about building a network of contacts but with a specific objective: having more business and job opportunities.
We give you an example. Imagine that you sign up to do a master's degree (face-to-face or online). In it there are more people and the normal thing is to create a group, although later, individually, you will have contact with part of those people. Those are contacts and they are business opportunities since you can focus on one part of the master's degree and another person on another and you understand each other.
It is as if you create a circle of people who can be opportunities (more work, change work, etc.). Something similar to your circle of friends and family but focused on the work issue. This is what networking is all about.
What goals do you have
Although we have told you before that the objective is to have job and business opportunities, the truth is that there is much more you can get from networking. For example:
- Make your work, product or service known, making the other person know you and generating visibility of your personal and / or professional brand.
- Create relationships with companies, suppliers, distributors, allies, potential customers ...
- Have a better knowledge of the market, not only of the one you operate, but also of others that may be related.
Actually, networking is a way to have a circle of people, companies, etc. that can help you at any given moment to publicize what you want to launch at a professional level.
What types of networking exist
Now that you know what networking is, you should know that there is not only one type, but two types are established:
- Online, in which "work" contacts are obtained through virtual media such as social networks, WhatsApp, emails ... It is a somewhat colder relationship, because you do not know yourself in person, but it can be just as good as the following what are we gonna see. As an example you have that master's degree that we have mentioned before and that you did it online, so you don't see your colleagues and you only talk to them through the group (networks, WhatsApp ...).
- offline, where you can get networking in the face-to-face events you attend, in conferences, workshops, courses, lectures, or even in the workplace (because you meet a person at work who can help you to make the leap to another company, for example). Now, to achieve this you need to have social skills and do not be shy to be able to relate.
Both guys are fine though each of them has its pros and cons. It is always best to combine both, since online allows you to reach people who, otherwise, you would never meet or have contact; and offline you would have the facility to make yourself known and generate a good first impression.
How to Network
- Depending on what is the goal you want to achieve with networking, you will have to act one way or another. It is not the same if you want to network to find a job than if you do it to publicize your services as a freelancer. Therefore, among the actions that you can carry out are:
- Offer your business card. This is more common in offline networking, since you offer it to the person as something physical (which you cannot online). The most important data should be reflected in it and, if possible, it is also convenient that you make it attractive enough, and relevant to you, that they remember who gave it to them and what your objective was.
- Make an elevator pitch. Something that we could say is similar to the business card, and that works very well for online networking, is the elevator pitch. It is a presentation of no more than 2 minutes about you, your business, product, service or career and what you want to achieve.
- Attend events. In this sense, face-to-face events tend to work better than online ones, but we are not going to tell you to discard these. Of course, it is not enough just to attend and now. You have to relate (in the case of online, chat, and a lot) so that people recognize you, so that they know who you are. Do not be afraid to jump in and offer your card, or talk to the people that interest you, even if they may tell you that you are a bore. That is better than staying in a corner without anyone approaching because it will not have been worth going.
- Establish a contact strategy. Imagine that you have gone to an event where you have made yourself known and have made good contacts. However, afterwards, you do nothing. Unfortunately this is something that happens very often, and the best thing you can / should do is establish a strategy to contact these people, remind them who you are, comment on things, and be able to maintain the bond that has united you. It is very important because, otherwise, they will end up forgetting about you.
As you can see, networking is a very useful tool today, and it will be more and more so, especially since businesses and companies no longer stay only in the city where they are set up, or in the country, but rather cross borders. And they can go a long way if you have good contacts to do it.