Friday 13 February 2009

Making money through networking - Pt 1

There are two sides to every argument and the debate about networking, and its benefits, is no different.

It is said that your net worth is directly proportionate to the size of your network, or it's not what you know, it's who you know that is important.

Some people avoid networking because they feel it involves speaking in public and this terrifies them. Others see it as being time consuming and unproductive.

Networking though, is proven to help you make money and there is no doubt that it works, if you are prepared to work at it. There are some simple steps you can take that will help you make money through networking:

1. Just get in the game - dive in and attend something, anything, and get a feel for how it works. The biggest factor that stops people creating success in anything is fear, and fear is just False Expectations Appearing Real. It's your imagination telling you that something bad is going to happen and you can not possibly know that your imagined expectation is true.

2. Smile and introduce yourself - Just say hi. Shake hands and if you're not sure what to say start by asking if they attend many networking events. Sharing your experiences of networking, or your fears, is a great way to break the ice.

3. Ask questions - By asking questions you show the other person that you are genuinely interested in them. People want others to care so ask questions such as how they got into business, what sorts of clients do they work with, how do they help their customers, how many staff do they have, where are they located, and so on.

The key to successful networking and therefore making money in the process is simply to feel the fear and get in the game. Everyone starts at the beginning and the best way to get going is to take the first step.

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