If you’ve been in the business world for any time then you’re likely to be aware of the importance attached to making contacts and networking. A great many jobs are found through personal contacts and are never advertised. This applies to other positions within your current employers as well as external roles.
While most people realize the importance of networking, very few do it effectively, or even at all. This is quite likely to be due to feelings of embarrassment or shyness.
These four tips however will greatly aid you in gaining the maximum advantage from your everyday contacts:
1. Get out of the house! Yes, I know it sounds stupid doesn’t it? The truth is though that many people become paralyzed by shyness or awkwardness to the extent that they simply don’t get to meet people. You can’t network by staying indoors (we aren’t covering web based social networks here), so you simply must make that initial effort and get out of that door! Glue a smile on your face and get to it. Where to? Some suggestions are:
Happy hour at an upmarket cocktail bar
Community events
Work parties (don’t ever miss one of these)
2. Introduce yourself. It can be very uncomfortable to walk up to a stranger and introduce yourself, but as in the previous tips, it’s something you simply must learn to do. If you stand in a corner alone all night then it’s just time wasted. Take a deep breath, think of something that you are going to open the conversation with and go and shake their hand. It’s far more likely than not that you will get a good response, humans are social creatures after all. And remember, the person you greet is likely to also want to increase his or her networking contacts.
3. Learn the art of small talk. If you can master this skill then you can make contacts anywhere. Have you ever watched someone who seems to be able to walk up to anyone and strike up an interesting conversation? The chances are that particular person took the time and trouble to learn the skill – it very rarely comes naturally. Buy a book on the subject, or look on the web and find a course in your area. If you’re a shy male, then watch the women in your organisation and see what they do – their skills in this area tend to be far superior.
4. Be Polite. Always! You never know where your next job lead or client is going to come from, so treat everyone with respect and you will not go wrong. Doing this also makes you a better person.
Follow these four tips diligently and you will soon be making more contacts than you dreamed possible. In addition by breaking out of the shyness straightjacket, you will gain a huge measure of self confidence.
Come on, learn to stick that hand out and network. My free 7 part e-course will help get you on the right track. Visit now to get started:
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