Becoming Effective In Networking
Above is the powerpoint presentations from today’s FPA Forum on Effective Networking. You can check out the other videos on www.fakhriprofessionals.com/learning-forum
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The two websites I had referred to is www.meetup.com and www.moo.com
If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask!
I’ve lost count the number of times where I have been left hanging for a reply. Or acknowledgement that they have received the message. It seems that to just hit reply is considered either unimportant or counter-productive.
Lets face it, with the number of mediums available (email, whatsapp, facebook, twitter, sms etc…) you would think that reaching out would be relatively easy. Especially when it all fits in a device the size of our palm!
Now that my slight rant is over, this is what I mean to say by “just hit reply”. It is about fostering and maintaining your existing network and just communicating. It can be sometimes a bit daunting when you have to send back a negative answer but leaving the other person in the dark is a lot worse. I have always encouraged all my contacts, clients, suppliers etc. them to get back to me regardless of the answer. I will respect you a lot more if you do. Even if it simply means by telling me that you will get back to me, just please hit reply!
I think this all stemmed from a few interviews that I have been to where I have been “promised” that they will get back to me. I was sceptical even despite the fact that he seemed pretty fixed on it. Well at least I was able to justify my scepticism. They never called me back and I never used the brand again.
Another time when communication and answering back is key, is in customer service. A fast food company the other week took over 3 weeks to get back to me. To be fair, when they did get bak to me, I got 3 phone calls in one day. There is communication and there is being annoying.
Don’t even get me started on those who feign that they have read it, or just read it in their notifications and ignore it. I think that is a rant I will save for another day 😉
The point I am trying to convey is that that try and force yourself to always and whenever possible to get back to someone as soon as possible. Even, as I said earlier, if it is just to tell them that you will take some time to do so. It may be a hard pill to swallow but with a little bit of practice it becomes easier and easier to swallow.
Startups aren’t for everyone. It is not your typical 8 hour, 5 days a week job. It is a roller coaster ride of emotions that will take you on some lows and some frequent highs – but yet, the rewards are phenomenal. But before you go sending your CV to the latest and greatest start-ups, have a read on the lessons I have learnt while working for a startup.
One of my duties every morning would be to water the plants before getting down to work. You have to be completely comfortable doing all sorts of tasks which in a larger company may have help to cover. Making coffee while between sales calls or picking up lunch for the rest of the team are just some of the random tasks you can be expected to do in startups.
From ever changing HR policies to a one off events where you are thrown off your comfort zone. You should prepare yourself to deal with the unexpected but embrace it as much as you can. There is a great learning curve in startups and you should definitely take advantage of any situation. But remember, no more matter the circumstance, always be positive.
I remember the first day at my first experience with a startup I was wearing a suit. Within 3 months (and the onslaught of summer) had myself in shorts. Obviously you need to keep your suit pressed for meetings and exhibitions but you should keep a mixed wardrobe. It is definitely refreshing and in my opinion helped nurture a more creative work environment.
When I left university I was overjoyed. No more lectures, no more learning, no more deadlines, no more stress! Now to start my career path and start making some money! Well that notion worked for a while until the recession hit and realising that if you are not working you have a lot of time on your hands. Stories floated around about people returning to university or taking on various training courses. In theory it was a great idea. The thinking being that the more knowledge you have the better advantage you have over the next candidate. However, for me personally I saw 2 problems with this:
1. Money: Courses are expensive no matter how you look at it.
2. Geography: In my part of the world, finding educational institutes that offered short/flexible courses was not that easy and with again going to point 1, was quite expensive.
However, one thing I realised was the above was just excuses – especially if you consider the wealth of information available online. From podcasts to online courses, there was quite literarily no stopping you from learning anything you wanted. With so many choices you are in quite a labyrinth of what to learn and what is right for you.
It can be quite daunting but from what I have experienced, anything you do come across and take up, even if it may not seem right for you at the moment can still have an impact. My love of photography came from stumbling across a course on light photography.
Talk to your peers and mentors and find out if they have any recommendations or if there is a particular topic you should be looking into. You can also use the following resources as a guide:
If you are always on the move or drive a lot then don’t overlook the power of podcasts. They can be quite entertaining and a great source to kill time. Plus it is always with you.
This is barely the tip on the iceberg but it just shows how much of an opportunity we have to strengthen our skills and to develop new ones. There are while communities geared to this and who knows who you will meet or what you will learn.
At first, going up to somebody and striking up a conversation without any provocation frightened me. The fact is it still does. However, when immersed in the world of entrepreneurship, contacts and knowledge is the key to moving forward. Unfortunately…no strike that…fortunately, the only way to do that is by networking.
My first dose of the start-up world came from answering a classifieds advert. I was tired of the regular job postings on offer and this one really stuck out. Responding to it was probably the best thing I have ever done. As the more astute of you may have realised, it had nothing to do with networking.
However what came after that, where I am today and where I hope to be in the future, is all down to networking. I have met some amazing people and networking has changed my whole perspective on ‘judging a book by its cover’. Some of the brightest people I have ever had the pleasure of working with didn’t even have a business card when I first met them.
During the latter period of my first job, I took on (among other things) a business development role in sales – a department that I felt was way out of my comfort zone. In all honesty it boiled down to my fear of rejection. However, after my first few sales it became easier to get my teeth sunk into it. It was not something I looked forward to doing, but the experience proved a lot less painful.
My issue with networking ran parallel to my struggle with sales. Knowing I overcame that struggle made me dive into networking a lot less restrained. In fact, it helped me immensely because, at the end of the day, when you network you are selling yourself.
Today, I met all the people I have worked with through – yes you guessed it – networking. Allowing me to speak for myself rather than a piece of paper is definitely the way forward. So get out there and meet as many people as you can. You may not always meet your next big client, but I guarantee that the fringe benefits are just as rewarding.
In this awesome article, TechCrunch columnist Ms Siegler (@parislemon) looks at how the owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos , has made the long game work:
http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/05/bezos-not-bozos/
Siegler dwells deeper into the profit free Amazon and discerns how they have managed to become the global force in online shopping. From turning profits into long term investments and Bezos, explaining that periodically Amazon wants to “check in” with its ability to make money.
It is a really great read for anybody interested in Amazon and the long-term game.
Let me run by a typical scenario for you. You need something done and you approach company ABC and ask for it to be done. In light of customer service/retention they promise to deliver what you want in a specified period of time to your liking. Specified date and time comes about and lo and behold, company ABC was unable to deliver. Why? Well the normal excuses start – employees being sick; delay in ordering material; some unforeseeable act of mother nature (yes I have had that excuse) etc etc etc. If you are persistent enough to get to the crux of it, you come to realise that company ABC was never able to either complete the work or do it int he time promised. So why could they have not said so in the beginning?
Saying yes has come quite easy. A generally attitude of say yes now and look for excuses later rather then say no and seem unprofessional. In my opinion, saying yes and not delivering is far more unprofessional. Suffice to say I will never be using company ABC again. Truth be told if they had said that it would take longer from the start then I would have been far more appreciative of their candeur rather then besmirch them for lack of deliverance.
This also reflects in ourselves as either a service provider or an employee. We are quick to say yes to be seen favourable in the eyes of whoever it is we are trying to please rather then being honest. I have seen and experienced such a behaviour and I have always appreciated honesty rather then falsity. Sometimes saying no is the right thing to do. It not only shows honesty but gives whoever is asking another option. Something that may not seem obvious in the short term but will reap far more rewards in the future.
I have a number of comfort zones. Ones that I feel have held me back from trying out new things and meeting new people. It has stopped me from attending events or even discovering an untapped potential.
There is no doubt safety in doing what you feel you are most comfortable with. However that does not mean it is what you are best at doing. A long held belief has been that if your push yourself, you will excel. Even if it results in a failure it can only make you stronger. As someone who has realised this, I can attest to the truth of it. No doubt easier said then done if you were to make it one goal to do something that you would not normally do in your “comfort zone” and then realising that the mountain you are trying to succumb is not really a mountain but a hill then you will truly realise your potential.
Get so used to being outside your comfort zone that that becomes your new comfort zone. Slowly but surely you will realise what your potential is and that thing that scared you, is not so bad after all.
Welcome to your new comfort zone.