Professional networking here in Canada is an integral part of our business lives. Although many people think networking is easy and very simple, it is an interpersonal skill that gets better with every event. It takes a game plan, energy, and a positive attitude to meet new people and learn from them.
Networking for connects and new business is very important for both an experienced professional and for the one just out of college who is looking for opportunity.
Meeting people using the Carnegie Principles makes sense no matter the venue. Winning Friends and Influencing People brings only success to any new or building relationship. Because networking is a blend of engagement and communication, active listening is essential and goes a long way in cultivating opportunities.
It is truly a time and effort game. We get what we put into it. It must always be remembered that it is not who we know in networking or even what we know; it is who knows us well enough to recommend us and our business. Placing networking events into our schedule will indeed make us more successful. As the famous comedian and movie director Woody Allen once said years ago: “80% of success is simply showing up.”
When meeting someone new at a local networking event, always remember their name and what they do. After the meeting, jot some thoughts about the individual on the back of their business card and bring it back to the office to file. Pull the card out just before the next meeting and review what was written. That person will be so pleased that they were remembered.
As we head more deeply into 2014, engagement and relationships will continue to be grown and nurtured.
Dale Carnegie once quoted John D. Rockefeller, saying that “The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee, and I will pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun.”
It is important to always remember that people create success. Networking can make the professional difference for all of us.
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This post is shared with you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie NOW- Northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook.
Photo: Vlado, freedigitalphotos.net