Three Fresh Networking Ideas

We've all heard that networking is good for you... kind of like medicine is good for you even though it tastes bad.

For all the people who love networking (aka extreme extroverts), there are a hundred more of us for whom the idea of spending time with strangers and acquaintances has a lot in common with sitting in the dentist's chair.

We'd rather be somewhere else. It feels like a waste of time. It's not particularly enjoyable. We can think of a thousand more productive things to be doing. It puts us in an uncomfortable position. We are going to be the recipient of prodding and poking by near strangers. There's a possibility something bad will happen.

Come on, 'fess up! Haven't you felt this way upon occasion?

Yet, you've seen evidence of the value of having relationships with people. Your friend Paul was offered the job of his dreams in San Francisco because a friend passed his name along to the company owner. Claudia landed a six figure account because her friend Sue recommended her to a company needing her services. Julie got hooked up with a fancy schmancy New York literary agent because Jim vouched for her to the agent. And Linda got her big break into professional speaking because her friend Sandi suggested her to an event planner.

Relationship building works. People hire who they know, like and trust. And people refer and recommend people they know, like and trust. Building great business and personal relationships is the most important thing you can do for your business.

Here are three fresh relationship-building ideas for you to act on immediately that involve just a subtle shift in your thinking and actions.

Just Do It

Just call someone you'd like to get to know better and make a plan to meet for lunch or coffee. Don't let fear of a refusal stop you. If your invitation is not accepted, just call someone else. Call 50 people, if you need to, until you get a "Yes!" Whatever may be holding you back, whether it is shyness or fear, work through it. Get therapy if you need to, to allow yourself to be comfortable in social situations. Most people have sought professional help at some point in their lives. Chances are you can easily overcome your obstacles. It's worth it if you can get over whatever is holding you back from living fully. And if you are not actively building relationships every week, you are not living fully.

Become a Host

You've seen her, the one who sits and waits for someone to come up and talk to her. You wonder if she's just quiet or shy or if she is too full of herself to initiate conversation with the common folk. She leaves having interacted with few and having wasted her time. She had the "guest" mentality. She was waiting for others to show her a good time, pay her attention, engage her. Why did she bother attending at all? The guest mentality rarely gets results other than a waste of time. At any kind of get together, party or business meeting, the ones who have the most fun and make the best connections are the ones who see themselves as a "host". They take responsibility for their own results.

Take it upon yourself to greet people first and to introduce them to others. If you are talking with a small group and see a lone straggler, reach out and verbally pull that person into your circle. Immediately make that person feel like a valued part of the group by asking him his opinion on what you've been discussing. You will make him shine. Everyone will gain from this new spark. And you will gain a reputation for being a connector.

Clone Yourself Creatively

Make a list of 25 people you'd like to meet for coffee or lunch. Of course, it will take you some time to work through that list one-on-one. But what if you gathered three or four of them together for breakfast? Whatever you want to share with each of them, you can share with a small group of them. You've cut your time investment by a large amount. If you are a little shy, in a small group, the load is not yours alone to carry to keep the conversation sprightly. Each of your friends will be delighted to meet others they might never have had the chance to get to know. If you're bouncing ideas off your friends, you'll benefit from the synergistic effect of the group dynamic.

Building your relationship network is like exercising a muscle. The more you work it the stronger it gets.

The notion of "cloning" yourself to maximize the benefits and time it takes to build valuable business relationships led to the founding of the National Association of Entrepreneurs. Learn how this organization of small business owners is not your sister's networking group - in fact it's not a networking group at all. It's much, much more. http://theNAE.org.

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