Want a longer, happier, and more successful life? Well your network has a big role to play...
Networking is a powerful tool when it comes to succeeding in business and in life. Daunting for many, it’s not as hard as you think, and fortunately, there are some easy tactics you can employ when networking to make your experiences with it more rewarding as you take a long-term approach to build a sustainable network.
When we think of networking, one of the first things we imagine is that awkward 30-minute time slot at a networking event where you’re forced to approach strangers whom you may have nothing in common with and start to make conversation. Well, for most of us, while that may be recent history, post covid the world is a different place, and those face-to-face events are mainly a thing of the past. With most of the client contact post 2019 being online or over the phone, networking is changing and so we need to really deconstruct what it is, to reconstruct the best approach in the digital age.
This article covers the power of networking and why it is such an important channel to invest in to develop your career. In the space of the next few pages, I’ll cover what networking is, why it’s important, how you can accelerate the size and strength of your own network, and how you can prioritise networking as part of your daily routine. I’ll also have a few stories where successful networks have supported great achievements and some fantastic videos of talks from legends like Robert Wardringer and David Burkus.
What is networking and why is it so important?
Networking is generally seen as the practice of talking to professional contacts and building relationships that may be useful in the future. Networking can be formal or informal, and it may manifest in a variety of ways, including meeting clients at corporate events, through to just starting a conversation with someone you hear talk about your industry at an event. It doesn’t have to be business 24/7, some of the best connections are made over mutual interests such as fitness, running, golf, or fashion, and in 2022, perhaps innovation, new trends like Crypto trading, or even online gaming.
Where you can relate to someone, build connections, and stay connected, you can build a powerful network that can serve many purposes. If you watch top-performing salespeople or high-performing business people, you’ll notice they keep strong relationships and even friendships.
But why is it so important? I’ll go on to explore the business benefits of networking, but I just want to hold for a second and share an incredible TED Talk by Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness. In the below Talk, Robert shares what Harvard learned from running the largest longitudinal study in the world over the course of 75 years and counting. What Robert and the Harvard team learned from following 724 men (yes only men… sorry, 75 years ago the world was very biased sadly!) with only 70 alive today, to understand what really mattered to people over time.
The major lesson for us? “Good relationships keep us healthier, happier and we live longer”. That’s right, those with strong and large networks of relationships were healthier, happier, and lived longer.
I’ll let Robert explain the data and the detail, but as social creatures, be that introverted, extroverted, or somewhere in between, we all can benefit from having strong relationships. What’s more, in a less formal and more agile, and open-minded world, Networking doesn’t have to be confined to a 30-minute timeslot at your local Rotary Club or BMI Networking Event.
Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED
What can I gain from networking and how should I approach it?
""You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
Zig Ziglar
Well firstly, just as Robert shares, it’s not just about finding the next deal. While Networking is often thought of as “Creating leads to drive the next sale”, perhaps it should be re-framed to “Creating meaningful and long-lasting relationships”. And it’s not all about what’s in it for you, the strength of a good network comes from giving not taking. Through investing in people, helping others, being generous with information and support, and “paying it forward” you can build a strong network that is willing to support and help you when you need it the most. You never know when you need it, and as the famous Zig Ziglar said “You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”.
Daily habits build strong networks over time
Just as most things in life lead back to compound interest, the same goes for your network. While it can seem daunting at the beginning, by investing in your connections and relationships daily you can make great gains over time. Be that a couple of new LinkedIn comments or messages where you offer your advice, or perhaps meeting up for a coffee with that person you see at the gym who works in a similar space. As your network grows and grows, year on year, you’ll have a fruitful network of support.
Is there a limit on how large I can realistically grow my network, and does it matter?
Well, some academics believe it’s impossible to maintain strong relationships with more than 150 people, but in 2022, that isn’t an issue, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the power of LinkedIn and Social Media has revolutionized our capabilities to leverage technology to engage our connections, and more importantly, is the concept of weak ties, where being best friends with every contact may not even matter that much at all.
The power of weak ties
In 1973, sociologist Mark Granovetter published a paper titled “The Strength of Weak Ties” in which he describes and explains the importance of weak ties. Granovetter compares weak links to bridges that allow us to share information and access resources we otherwise wouldn’t have access to. Granovetter states, “all bridges are weak ties.” Jacob Morgan discusses this theme in detail in his book: The Collaborative Organization.
I was first introduced to the power of weak ties by David Burkus in his awesome TEDx talk “How to Hack Networking” and it aligns to one of my key principles for Innovation and Growth – Diversity is the key. Say you have 150 connections, well, that means you have access to a network of 22,500 2nd degree connections, and guess what? That means you have a network of 3,375,000 3rd degree connections. Can you imagine the knowledge network that you can access there via your “friends of friends”.
David explains the power of Weak Ties far better than I ever could in the video below.
How To Hack Networking | David Burkus | TEDxUniversityofNevada
How can you use your network?
One of the biggest failures is purely seeing your network as a lead generation factory. With over 3 million “weak ties” your network can help with most likely anything you need to achieve. That doesn’t mean you should over use it, be mindful of how much you are “taking” and how much you are “putting in”. A network is indeed a valuable tool however;
- Are you interested in a new career path?
- Need to understand an account in more detail?
- Do you need to influence a deal?
- Do you need to learn more about a potential client or company before approaching them?
- Do you need need to learn a new skill?
- Well don’t be shy! That network that you have been investing in, giving back to, supporting, well its time to draw down a few credits. I have historically used my network for all of the above and more, and its amazing how much people genuinely enjoy helping others, especially if you have spent time to engage them, support them and perhaps helped them out in the past.
Case study: How Paul Techima's network bagged him a big deal
One great success story is that of Paul Teshima. A co-founder of Eloqua, he is became the CEO and co-founder of Nudge.ai, an AI-powered networking platform that shows you not just the number of connections you have, but the strength of your relationships, too. Nudge.ai literally “nudges” you when there’s a sales opportunity you’re overlooking. He’s proof that Your network really is your net worth. Hayes building his network in the early years of his career gave him strong Connections when it came to selling his hypergrowth take business Eloqua. The connections that Paul had previously made through his career, and the level at which he’d invested in his relationships was cited as one of the key reasons that the deal with Oracle to buy his firm was so smooth, doubling its perceived market value, and lifting $400 million increase in shareholder net worth.
Ok I get it, Networking is important, and wow it can help me to get ahead, but where do I start?...
Building a strong network
Covid has meant we have far less face to face time with friends and clients than we used to, so we really must be mindful of the techniques we use to create new connections, to stay connected and to build on existing relationships. Here are 6 great tips to help you build a strong network in 2022.
#1 Create a strong virtual network
When it comes to Networking you really need to cast your net as wide as possible.
The first step is to start networking digitally, whether that be on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, use hashtags and search functionality to find influencers in your field of expertise, keep an eye out for retweets, shares and mentions using tools like Mention.net or keep an eye on your Network feed.
Here are some great ways to build a strong Networking base online:
– Join LinkedIn groups chats where experts share their knowledge and experience. My favourites include Future Tends and the CX Network
– Share relevant content with those influencers to create bonds and dialogue which gets you on their radar
– Attend virtual events hosted by partners, suppliers and leaders in your area, but dont just attend, engage. Ask questions, be a voice, take notes of those that do the same, reach out and connect and engage with the people that you meet
#2 Maximise LinkedIn to stay connected
It’s no secret that LinkedIn is now the number one Networking platform. With over 400 million users, it makes sense to invest time into building your network on this platform. Think about how you can use LinkedIn to not only build strong connections but also to build your personal brand.
Do be mindful though, it’s very easy to allow LinkedIn to become a Networking platform of half-thought-out recommendations.
3 great ways on how to utilise LinkedIn more effectively are as follows:
1) Use Titles wisely and brand yourself. Don’t be afraid to use titles creatively, even writing catchy lines about yourself will catch people’s attention and make it easier for people to remember you on first contact. Ensure you have a strong profile, with recommendations where possible, a friendly profile picture with a smile, be approachable and engaging on screen as you are in real life.
2) Be systematic, network with everyone you meet, firstly it helps them remember you better and secondly some of those people will have connections to some of your desired network and what better way to keep track than with LinkedIn?
3) Network with your Network! Remember that most of the people you are connected with are all just people who you know of or know online. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with them each year and ask them what’s changed at their company and create real connections by comment on their posts, share links to useful content and put people in touch with others that may help them.
#3 Be generous with your time, knowledge, connections, and skills
Time and energy invested in your network is money in the bank. It compounds over time, it will pay you back when you need it, and after a few years, you’ll be astounded how much your daily investments are now worth.
“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity” Keith Ferrazzi
Be sure you pro-actively support your network when you need help, and when you meet people that you think should be connected to someone that you know, be sure to make that connection.
#4 Get offline and build a face-to-face social network
Now more than ever people are looking for an excuse to get from behind the screen. Despite my Networking mostly taking place online I still dedicate time to Networking physically at conferences and events where covid-safe and compliant depending on the restrictions. Meeting with people in person is always very powerful, but also remember that social bonds are often even more powerful than business relationships. Find out what your connections like doing and suggest some alternative meat ups. Walking meetings, joining a fitness class together or hitting the gym, golf or drinks, there are many ways to build social connections that help to improve your bonds.
# 5 Invest every day to build a strong diverse network
By proactively investing your time to build your Networking, you’ll maximize the benefits you get from it. Networking is a long-term game which over time will really benefit you and the people in your Network if done well. Ensure that you embed some positive habits such as adding everyone you meet (where relevant) on LinkedIn, Posting weekly in LinkedIn and tagging a few connections, Commenting or liking a number of posts per week, try to make one introduction per month, and ensure you have one virtual or face to face 1-1 meeting with a “weak tie” to maximise the strength and diversity of your network.
Conclusion
Networking has never been more important than it is today. Consider Networking as a core part of your professional and business development, its just as important to Network with people who may not be in the same industry, or even work for the same company. Finally remember that Networking isn’t just about building up your knowledge base or getting access to senior people, Networking is about building real, social and long term connections with the right people, and it might just lead to a healthier, happier and longer life!
The thing I most here people say hold then back from Networking is their Confidence. I’ll be writing an article about that soon so watch out and check back for the link.
I hope this article has helped you to better understand Networking and how you can benefit from it. If this was useful, please comment below and share on LinkedIn! And if you want more articles like this, just contact us below.
Keywords:
Networking, Networking Tips, Networking Career, Networking for Professionals, Personal Development, Personal Growth
References:
Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness | TED – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI
Mark Granovetter – The Strength of Weak Ties – 1973 – https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776392
Mark Granovetter – The Collaborative Organisation – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collaborative-Organization-Strategic-Internal-Challenges/dp/0071782303
Jacob Morgan – Why Every Employee Should Be Building Weak Ties At Work (forbes.com) – https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/03/11/every-employee-weak-ties-work/
David Burkus – How To Hack Networking – TEDxUniversityofNevada – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrqZjIDE44&t=24s
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