11 Great Reasons to Network More Than You Do Right Now

11 Great Reasons to Network More Than You Do Right Now

1. Research Shows: The more people you know, the more money you make.

It introduces you to more potential new business and Goal #1: More prospects, more business.

Research done by Thomas J Stanley in The Millionaire Mind found that one thing most millionaires had in common was they knew a lot of people:
“There is a direct, positive correlation between the number of people-oriented lifestyle activities one engages in and the level of one’s net worth.”  

Yahoo executive, Tim Sanders, came to the same conclusion in Love is the Killer App; “Your network is your net worth.”  

There is a BIG PICTURE that we forget to networking. The average person knows at least 200 people - the average business person knows a lot more - so when you meet 10 new people at an event, you are opening the door to 2,000 potential contacts or more. How many clients do you need?!
ACT! Where can you meet more people who would make potential clients?  

2. People buy YOU so they need to get to know you. You are the brand. You’re in a relationship business.  And people prefer to do business with people they know, like and trust.

It’s not complicated: people want to know you’re nice, honest, and that you’re good at what you do. Is your brochure going to bring that credibility?
Networking lets you:
a) Connect with people
b) Build trust
c) Set yourself apart from the competition that’s either too lazy or too uncomfortable to show up (at home watching TV) or too inconsistent and quick-fix oriented (looking for quick business by showing up once or twice to an event/organization).
So, where can you meet more potential clients so they can get to know you?

3. Networking allows you to position yourself as a resource. Everybody needs resources. Everybody uses resources. They have questions for people who are a resource. They start to trust you. Then they do business with you because you are not like the competition that is mostly trying to sell something.

The more people you know, the more of a resource you are to others.
So, what additional value can you provide to your contact sphere that lets them know you’re a resource above and beyond your product or service? How can you spread the word?

4. Networking is a great way to meet centers of influence (COI)/referral partners. These synergistic professionals provide the easiest referrals you can get.
So, where are you meeting your COIs?

5. Networking is a great way to meet other networkers! When you start to see the same faces, you learn at least two good things: 1) these are often people who know a lot of people (or are on their way) and 2) they are hungry because they’re the ones motivated to be getting out there consistently. These are the people you want to know (with 3 exceptions: you don’t like them, they are too needy for business, or they are not interested in helping others out – since real networkers understand give and take) 

Lastly, elite networkers often start their own networking groups. Definitely seek these people out. Recently I met a woman at a couple of networking events. As I got to know her that second time, I found out that she organized free seminars and networking events based around Linked In. There were over 100 people at her most recent event on Monday! It was quickly obvious that I had stumbled on a networking genius, a center of influence, a ‘player’.
So, where are you meeting other networkers?

6. People want to feel comfortable with you; you don’t have to be the best at what you do to benefit from networking. In Harry Beckwith’s 2007 book, You, Inc, he wrote; “overwhelming evidence shows that clients do not choose the “best” firm. They cannot conclusively decide who is the best. Instead, their answer to “Why do you continue to work with the person and the firm” is one word: ‘comfort’.”

Networking – getting out there and talking to people - will fulfill your job, which is to help many people get comfortable with you, to put a name to a face. Most of your competition is too lazy and too uncomfortable to do it on a consistent basis.

So, now you have no excuse, where would be a good place to network more to build that comfort level?

7. Networking provides greater and easier access to information and contacts.
In his excellent 2005 endorsement for living the life of a networker, Keith Ferrazzi summed it up best in Never Eat Alone:
“The loyalty and security once offered by organizations can be provided by our own networks. Lifetime corporate employment is dead; we’re all free agents now, managing our own careers across multiple jobs and companies. And because today’s primary currency is information, if you need a job, money, advice, help, or hope, there’s only one surefire, fail-safe place to find them – within your extended circle of friends and associates.”

8. Networking brings more peace of mind, less stress and a greater sense of certainty in an age of constant change: it’s reassuring to know a lot of people you can turn to when you need a job, money, advice, help or hope.

So, know a good electrician, web designer, cell phone professional, printer, plumber, Realtor, someone who can fix your computer, attorney, ink cartridge professional?

9. Overcome shyness. Most people consider themselves shy. As a shy introvert myself, networking is a great way to consistently step out of my comfort zone when I might rather be hiking in the woods with my dog.
As Richard Templar says in The Rules of Life (2006), “expanding your comfort zone makes you feel good about yourself.”
So, what kind of networking would move you in that positive direction?

10. Make more friends: one company’s mission statement that I came across: “Help people, make friends, have fun” – that attitude is going to lead to more business. That approach will attract others.
Networking is a great way to make more friends. Avoid approaching it as a job and instead as something fun.
So, ask yourself: how can I have fun at this networking event?

11. Networking helps you learn more about the competition and the real world. It’s healthy to keep visiting the ‘trenches’ of where new connections are being made. Things shift and sometimes quite quickly. It’s worth keeping your finger on the pulse. The only certainty is change, right?
So, point taken?

Who else might get value from reading this? Be a resource for others: forward this on!