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Professional Networker
Key phrase: I enjoy every aspect of networking!
Their motivation is to make a difference; to be of service first.
The Professional Networker comes to an event fully prepared mentally
and emotionally to engage others. S/he is eager to meet new people,
get reconnected with old friends and create new opportunities. The
Pro sees networking as one of the most important activities in his
or her life, because it always affords new relationships and/or
new ways of seeing existing relationships. They carefully select
the best events for their business; they have a plan in mind and
they've allowed for followup time scheduled into their workdays
to ensure they don't let anyone feel forgotten..
The Professional Networker is other-focused and all about learning
about his or her conversational partner. Keeping their business
cards at hand but not in someone's face, they concentrate on asking
journalistic questions which reveal a great deal about the person
they're talking to.
Every chance they get, Professional Networkers try to help others.
They are eager to share ideas and to create new opportunities for
people, even those they've just met. They pass along information
and referrals and don't hold others hostage to their help. They're
interested in being of service first, and don't ask for anything
in return.
Professional Networkers bubble with enthusiasm about what they
do for a living and they give others the chance to help them if
they choose. They never sell or try to pressure anyone into doing
anything and as a result, others like being with and around them.
At conferences and meetings, Professional Networkers are open to
meeting new people, mentoring Freshman and helping Jadeds find new
reasons to get engaged. They help Harrieds focus on getting quality
connections and make introductions as though they are the host or
hostess. Networking is their natural environment because they're
all about helping others.
If you're a Professional Networker, congratulations! People love
to be around you and are eager to be help you. You're generous with
your time and ideas and you find opportunities because you create
them for others. Networking is an essential business strategy for
you because you understand that collaborative relationships are
what count in life. However, there are some things you need to keep
in mind to stay successful:
1. Manage your time carefully. People want to be with
you- practice gracious disengagement and continue to stay available.
2. Focus on those few key new contacts. Expand your contact
base but limit yourself to a few at each event.
3. Remember that you set the example. Always network with
your highest ethics and others will want to be like you: warm,
open, available, focused, with great follow-up and referral skills.
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Even the Best Have Challenges
Tom L is a real Pro Networker. He makes extra room for networking
events because they lead to more opportunities than any other
marketing activity he engages in. He makes new friends at
every event he attends and is careful to leave enough time
to catch up briefly with those he already knows. He comes
to events without clutter to distract him from giving his
full attention to those he's talking to.
Among his most important qualities, Tom is a careful listener.
He asks probing questions that help him understand his conversational
partners, and he listens with a commitment to be of service.
If he has a recommendation, idea, referral or lead to pass
along, he will, without expectation of anything in return.
He tends to have lots of people who want to talk to him at
events because his authenticity and willingness to help others
makes him easy to be around. However, sometimes he finds himself
surrounded by too many people he already knows, making it
hard for him to meet new people.
Tom treats the person he's talking to with genuine regard
and curiosity, always finding something intriguing about them.
People leave his company feeling valued and important. Tom
doesn't just network, he brings additional value to the conversation
by giving something away. If he has one challenge, it's to
let people return the favor more often.
What can Tom do?
Tom needs to make sure he creates time enough to meet new
people, so he should practice the art of graceful disengagement
regularly to have those new opportunities. He needs to continue
to model his behavior and mentor others into adopting the
skills of a real pro. He understands it's not about business
cards, but about being of service and making a difference.
He may find himself with a few too many follow-ups, and he
needs to remember to ask for what he needs because he's a
giver first. He can get into the habit of forgetting to let
others know how to serve him as well. Otherwise, he's setting
a terrific example.
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