In business, your connections can mean more than your credentials: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” It’s for that reason that networking—or making business contacts—can be one of the most productive practices for those looking to move up or into the world of business.
But what exactly does networking entail? How is it done? It’s really as simple as talking to someone and trying to get to know them.
There are conferences and seminars devoted to learning about and engaging in the act of networking, but those shouldn’t be the only place you try to make connections. Effective networkers are almost always networking, no matter where they go. The practice itself is all about building relationships and learning about others—something you can do and practice anywhere.
Striking a comfortable balance between listening and talking will allow you to make the best impression and learn the most about a potential business contact. You want to make an impression, but not a bad one, so avoid dominating the conversation. The best way to do this is to allow conversation to come fairly naturally: try not to prepare a response before someone has fully answered. Ask open-ended questions and listen intently to their answer. Then, you can build off of that answer when you ask another question or make your response.
This might sound like advice for someone looking to make friends. That’s because, at its best, networking IS making friends—just friends that might also be helpful business contacts. Subsequently, business should never be the first thing you talk about. In some cases, it’s best to avoid talking about business entirely during your first meeting with someone unless they ask about it. Business talk can come later, so there’s no need to press the issue.
If you’d like to subtly inform someone you’ve just met that you’re in business, try giving them your card if the two of you exchange contact information. That way, you can keep in touch AND they’ve learned something about your professional life that you didn’t have to come right out and say. Networking is a form of self-promotion, but when it is transparent or too deliberate, it can backfire. Contacts will want to know you’re serious about business, but that doesn’t mean you have to be militant about sharing that business.
Dale Carnegie said it best: “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
