Will Kintish, author of the Being Kintished Blog, wrote an article that reminded me of the false sense of security you might have regarding networking.
Many professionals are falling into the trap of thinking that networking (with the ultimate purpose of gaining referrals) is being on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Like Will, I love social media, and think it can play a very valuable role in the networking process - But it's NOT the heart of networking.
Here's the quote from Will's blog article that reminded me to step occasionally away from my computer and meet members of my network:
Networking is building relationships: know-like–trust are the 3 key steps to achieving this. How can you get others to like and trust you simply through the computer. I do believe you can start a relationship online and even reinvigorate and reinforce but no-one will ever convince me you can build a sustainable relationship with anyone.without the face-to-face meeting.
Of the time you invest in networking (5%-10% of your total workweek), how much time really goes into face-to-face meetings for the purpose of building stronger networking relationships? Don't include pitches, presentations, and meeting prospects. I'm talking about face-to-face meetings to foster stronger relationships to gain referrals to CEOs who could become part of your group. Everybody complains about not getting enough referrals. I'll contend that the number one mistake of seeking referrals is not having a strong enough relationship with the referral source along the three dimensions that Will talks about: KNOW-LIKE-TRUST.
What's your plan for building relationships with your best referral sources to get them to like you and trust you (by meeting with them personally and frequently) in the coming year?
To read the article on Will's blog, click the link below:
Network? Sure, I network. I’m on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook all the time.
Barry Deutsch
