{"id":28101,"date":"2014-12-04T12:55:25","date_gmt":"2014-12-04T20:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=28101"},"modified":"2014-12-04T14:01:32","modified_gmt":"2014-12-04T22:01:32","slug":"networking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/","title":{"rendered":"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

Author Tim Ferriss once said, \u201cin person is the least crowded channel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting off the couch, attending an event and meeting new people remains one of the best ways to expand your network. Unlike social network websites, going to a live event requires more effort. Fortunately, it doesn\u2019t have to be a painful experience.<\/p>\n

Enter Bobby Umar and Ryan Coelho, authors of \u201cHow to Network Anytime, Anywhere, with Anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Since exiting the corporate world, Bobby Umar<\/a> has built a thriving business combining public speaking engagements, teaching and digital publishing. What\u2019s responsible for his success? It all comes down to networking. Bobby\u2019s passion for helping lost leaders infuses every aspect of his work.<\/p>\n

\u201c99{54c12dad2cc2b53ae830e39915b1a3e70288dbcbbeb8bbf8395437c5dc3c512c} of my business comes from networking\u201d<\/h2>\n

Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers. He also leads a weekly Twitter chat called The Power of Connection and contributes to the Huffington Post. By any measure, Bobby is accomplished in the world of social networks.<\/p>\n

Beyond the Internet, Bobby is also active in organizing live events \u2013 his 2014 \u201cDiscover Your Personal Brand<\/a>\u201d event in Toronto attracted 300 attendees. In addition to his own events, Bobby has spoken at several TEDx conferences. Through this experience, Bobby has learned a great deal about networking.<\/p>\n

\u201cNetworking is important because every opportunity you get in life comes from people. The job you want, the next client you\u2019re pursuing, the cause of the charity you volunteer for \u2013 all of them come from the relationships you have with other people. So the bigger your network is, the more opportunities you open up for yourself.\u201d \u2013 How To Network Anytime, Anywhere, with Anyone<\/p>\n

Preparing Yourself For Networking Success<\/h2>\n

Why exactly are you going to a networking event or conference? Events, in of themselves, cannot transfer your business or your life. Instead, you have to set specific goals.<\/p>\n

For example, decide to meet at least three people at the event and ask them at least three questions. That type of goal will give you a focus. Instead of simply treating the event like a party, you will have a specific goal in mind. It also makes sense to think about the other people going to the event \u2013 ask yourself what they are planning to achieve.<\/p>\n

Use Context To Start Conversations<\/h2>\n
\"Photo

Bobby Umar built his business through networking.<\/p><\/div>\n

Inexperienced networkers often struggle on how to start a networking conversation. Simply start by using the context of the event. For example, if you are attending an event about entrepreneurship, you can ask your fellow attendees about their entrepreneurial ventures. In contrast, if you are attending an event organized by your university alumni association, it makes sense to ask about student experiences.<\/p>\n

Learning Through Networking For Entrepreneurs<\/h2>\n

Bobby significantly expanded his business knowledge through a networking event he attended. \u201cIn 2014, I attended ‘The Arch Angel Academy’ event. I was able to gain new skills in knowledge in business development, event management and Facebook marketing tactics from the passionate entrepreneurs I met there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip: Come prepared with questions and know what you want to learn when you attend events. You never know when you could meet a helpful expert. That person can\u2019t help you unless you are clear about what you need.<\/p>\n

Classic Networking Mistakes: Are You Taking Too Much?<\/h2>\n

In some circles, networking has a bad name. You\u2019ve all seen the type \u2013 the aggressive person who distributes business cards and promotes their agenda to the exclusion of any other concern.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most common mistake I see networkers make is focusing too much energy on taking and selling. I spent 10 minutes with one person who always kept bringing the conversation back to the course he was selling next month. It was clear he wanted me to take his course and he didn’t ask me any questions about myself,\u201d Bobby shared in an interview.<\/p>\n

Networking can lead to sales, but that should not be your exclusive focus. Instead, take a long term view of the relationships you build through networking. The person you meet today might become a customer six months from now. They might introduce you to someone else or recommend a book to help you overcome a challenge.<\/p>\n

Successful networking interactions are interactive. Imagine an effective conversation as a tennis match \u2013 there is a natural give and take.<\/p>\n

Your Network As A Source of Knowledge and Advice<\/h2>\n

Many articles on networking emphasize that networks can increase sales and lead to new job opportunities. That\u2019s only part of the story.<\/p>\n

Bobby leaned on his network for information when he started his business. \u201cWhen I first started, I used networking to get feedback on structure, pricing and content from about 50 people in my network,\u201d Bobby commented. Bobby\u2019s comments show that you can make great progress with limited networks \u2013 you don\u2019t need to know thousands of people to get started.<\/p>\n

Corporate employees can reap similar benefits from networking. Are you struggling to learn a technical skill in Excel or Access? There\u2019s probably somebody in your network who can provide suggestions. Are you considering a job offer at a new company? You can ask people in your network additional questions so you can make an informed decision.<\/p>\n

Use Tools And Systems To Manage Growing Networks<\/p>\n

Once you become successful at building new relationships, you face a new challenge.<\/p>\n

How do you stay in touch with hundreds of people? There are several possibilities. You can set recurring reminders in your calendar application (e.g. Google Calendar). You can also set up recurring tasks in a task management application (e.g. I use Remember The Milk).<\/p>\n

Bobby has used software tools such as Rapportive to help him manage his network. Other options include Contactually and Highrise. In fact, there is a whole category of software \u2013 customer relationship management (CRM) – dedicated to helping people managing their relationships.<\/p>\n

Managing contacts and relationships does take some work, there\u2019s no way around that. By keeping up with your network, you will set yourself apart from the majority.<\/p>\n

Take Action:<\/p>\n

What have you done this week to grow your network?<\/p>\n

What have you done to help somebody in your network this month?<\/p>\n

Bio. Bruce Harpham writes about leadership and development for Generation Y project managers<\/a> at ProjectManagementHacks.com. Bruce lives in Toronto, Canada.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":28900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2162],"tags":[2077,3923,3924,66,3637,1270],"yoast_head":"\nWhat The Most Successful People Know About Networking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-04T20:55:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-12-04T22:01:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Screen-Shot-2014-12-04-at-12.54.51-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"613\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"371\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Screen-Shot-2014-12-04-at-12.54.51-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Screen-Shot-2014-12-04-at-12.54.51-PM.png\",\"width\":613,\"height\":371,\"caption\":\"self improvement tips\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/\",\"name\":\"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-12-04T20:55:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-12-04T22:01:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2014-12-04T20:55:25+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-12-04T22:01:32+00:00","og_image":[{"width":613,"height":371,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Screen-Shot-2014-12-04-at-12.54.51-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Screen-Shot-2014-12-04-at-12.54.51-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Screen-Shot-2014-12-04-at-12.54.51-PM.png","width":613,"height":371,"caption":"self improvement tips"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/","name":"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2014-12-04T20:55:25+00:00","dateModified":"2014-12-04T22:01:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"Bobby\u2019s commitment to networking can be seen in the online world. He currently has over 227,000 Twitter followers.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/networking\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What The Most Successful People Know About Networking"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28101"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}