Your time and efforts could be squandered if you enter into the networking circuit without a plan or general strategy.
If you’re a networker, you’ve probably run into every type of character imaginable. In addition to the takers, the salesy pitch-makers and the long drawn out storytellers, there will be many quality people for you to share referrals with. In order to be efficient with your time and effective in your selection process, it’s important to set some criteria for selecting the right strategic partners. Think about the following four areas in order to determine who to move forward with.
The first area to look for in a good fit is whether or not you actually like the person you are speaking to.
Is this someone you could see yourself being friends with? Do you share some commonalities or natural affinities? In some cases, the person you’re talking to is self-centered, obnoxious or worst case scenario makes you want to jump out a window. Remember, there are all types out there and the more you network the more interesting people you will meet. If you can find someone you like, they have pasted the first qualifier in a good strategic partner for you.
The second key to qualifying a good networking partner is in deciding if the individual is trust worthy.
If you can’t trust someone, they will never pan out long term as a good strategic partner. You may ask how anyone would know in the first 10 minutes of speaking with someone that she is trust worthy. The answer is…you probably won’t. That being said, some things to keep top of mind include, did she ask about you or show interest in your business. Did she follow through on an introduction she mentioned might be a good person for you to meet? When you scheduled a time to meet, did she actually show up? You may or may not be surprised to know that most networkers have terrible follow up skills. These are all good ways to know early on that a networker will not be a reliable partner for you in business.
A third criterion which will help you to better understand if someone might be a good partner is regarding her level of expertise.
One of the leading mistakes you can make in networking is referring someone who is incompetent at their job. It is really important to question and analyze your new friend to insure that she knows what she is talking about. Can she speak intelligently about her industry and business? Does she have references or testimonials that back up what she is saying about herself? To insure you understand why this is important, imagine introducing your number one client to do business with a totally inept entrepreneur. Think about how it will make you look once your client has had a bad experience with the referral that you’ve made. This is an honest mistake most networkers make because of a genuine interest in helping others.
The fourth and last qualifier for a great strategic partner is concerning the size of one’s network.
Your new friend’s ability to easily refer you business opportunities may be directly related to the number and quality of the people they know. For example, if she is new in business, it might be tough finding someone she knows that would be a good referral for you. On the other hand, a networker who has a large network of people would probably find referring you much easier. The caveat on this qualifier would be that this person might eventually grow a network that could pay off for you down the road.
Your time and efforts could be squandered if you enter into the networking circuit without a plan or general strategy. Try to make some mental notes when you first meet someone or during your face to face meeting to better qualify them as strategic partner for you. Remember to ask yourself, do you like her? Do you trust her? Is she an expert? Does she have a network around herself? If you feel good about all of these things, try and exchange referrals for each other to advance the relationship further. If one or more of these qualifiers are missing, think about moving on to someone else. The hard truth is that many people are just not going to be a fit for you. Figuring this out in the early stages of a relationship will insure your time and efforts are maximized.
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