Regardless of what we’re doing in the 2nd half of the journey, we are probably networking with others to accomplish something!

Of course, we know that networking is the giant backbone of business-building.  But it is also essential when we want to continue to advance a professional career while working someone else’s well.  And when we’re involved in our communities, even as an active volunteer - there’s always something we need that networking will bring us.

Today’s topic is based on a weekly “referral tip” from Hazel Walker, known in Indianapolis as the “queen of networking” (see her bio below).  Hazel and her business associate, Denise Praul, do some awesome training in referral-based marketing and networking.  I should know, I took their course a few years ago and much of what we put into the Affiliated Women’s piece came from what I learned in the CNP program.

Key to our wise use of time and money is to develop a strategic networking plan.   Hazel suggests that when we are networking, look for persons (in our case - women) who would make good “referral partners”.  Spend time building a relationship with them so that over time, those relationships will yield considerable mutual benefit.  We don’t need a huge database when we have 8 - 10 well-trained referral partners who will ‘feed’ us qualified clients and contacts.

Secondly, Hazel recommends clearing out our database and rolodex.  Are there people in we don’t know?  How long ago did you contact some of the folks?  Have you clearly identified clients, contacts & prospects?  What ways do you use to sort the folks who remain in your database or rolodex?  The bottom line here is - get organized by clearing out the clutter that has little or no relevance to what you want to accomplish.

Finally, she recommends we create a “system” for networking.  So often we haphazardly engage in networking opportunities not knowing why we’re doing so.  That’s where stategic comes in to play.  Determine how much you’re willing to spend for networking activities - both in time and money - relative to your goals. 

Then: “Create a system for tracking your networking activities.  How many calls did you make? How many notes did you send?  How many hours did you spend out networking?  What events did you participate in?  Who did you give referrals or leads to?  What gets measured gets done, tracking is one of the most important things you can do, but often the most neglected.”

One of the most important tracking trends is to keep account of what we spend to network vs the value of the outcome.  And keep track of the value gained from a social networking strategy vs a networking-with-a-purpose strategy.  See where there’s the most gain.

When we start with a strategy and develop it into a networking plan based on previous experience and current trends - we’re building on a firm foundation. 

Regardless of why we’re in the marketplace, connecting with others, knowing why we’re there and what we want to accomplish will give us greater success in the long run!

Have an awesome day with great networking success!

Linda

Hazel M. Walker is the BNI Executive Director for Central Indiana, she is a master trainer for the Referral Institute. As a member of the National Speakers Association Hazel travels the world speaking on topic related to networking and women in business.  Hazel is a published author in Times and Wall Street Journals best selling book, Masters of Networking and soon to be released Masters of Sales. She can be reached at www.bni-indiana.com or www.crystalsynergies.com .