How to Build Your Professional Network

Want more business? Rather than investing in advertising, you might see more benefits by building your professional network. Not only can you find new customers, but you can also build relationships with potential partners and industry leaders who can help you along the way.

What is Networking?

Networking simply refers to building relationships with people in your industry, as well as with potential customers. People tend to do business with those they know and trust. When you build relationships, you lay groundwork and open doors that can help your business grow in ways traditional, less personal marketing and advertising can’t.

Why Networking Matters

81% of people consider trust an important criterion when deciding which brands to buy.. This statistic highlights the importance of building that trust early and holding onto it long-term. 

A brand (yours included) can seem impersonal if someone just researches it online. But as soon as a potential customer meets the CEO (you) at a business mixer, that brand has a personalized face. Yours! Their feelings about your brand are now tied to how they feel about you. (Let’s just hope they like you!)

Not only does business networking increase your brand’s visibility and put a face to a name, but it also allows you to meet potential partners. Let’s say you attend an industry event as the owner of a breakfast restaurant. While there, you meet a baker, and after a long conversation and some thought, you decide to sell her baked goods in your restaurant! That is the power of networking.

Another benefit of networking? You get smarter. Entrepreneurs tend to work in a bubble which makes it harder to spot growth opportunities. However, attending events in your industry gives you a chance  to learn about sales strategies and technologies that apply specifically to your field.

You could even find a mentor! Finding someone who is a veteran in your industry is like gold when they’re willing to show you the ropes and teach you how to thrive in your business.

Start With Your Goals

Now, let's move into how you can build your professional network. It's important to start by considering what your goals for networking are. Do your goals include attracting more clients or meeting industry mentors? How about gaining access to capital or finding collaborative opportunities? Maybe it's all of the above! 

Whatever goals you define, be sure to let them lead the way when choosing which networking events to attend, and while making new connections. 

Find the Right Events

Knowing your goal can help you find the right events to attend. If you’re looking for new clients, perhaps don't choose an industry event where you’ll only meet your peers. Instead, look for events that your target audience is interested in. If you sell software geared toward tennis coaches, look for tennis events.

If you want to increase your knowledge of technology in your field, look for industry-specific events.

You might also benefit from a general networking event that attracts entrepreneurs from different industries. Check your local Chamber of Commerce website, as well as SCORE. Meetup.com may also have events in your area.

Have the Right Attitude

I once attended a networking event where an individual practically shoved her business card into the hands of anyone she encountered without so much as a minute of even idle chat! It was utterly offensive, and I dropped her card in the nearest trash can.

Networking is not about force-feeding your brand down the throats of others. It’s about humanizing business. Get to know the people you meet. Ask them lots of questions. Tell them about what you do. If they’re interested, they’ll tell you. No arm-twisting required!

The secret to networking is patience. Business deals usually aren’t done the day you meet someone. But networking will pay off if you exchange cards and stay in touch. 

Master the Followup

"Staying in touch" means following up with each person you met a few days after the event.   If you meet many people, taking notes right after the event may be helpful so you can keep people straight ("Bob: bald. Works in advertising. Has daughter at Rollins College."). The more personal details you can recall, the more personable you will be.

An easy way to connect is through LinkedIn. After the event, send a connection request to the people you met and include a personal message. Doing this allows them to scan your LinkedIn profile to understand more about what you do.

Plan coffee dates with anyone you'd like to get to know better. And still, resist the urge to push your products unless the contact asks explicitly to learn more. The person you think would be an ideal client might not actually be in the market for what you sell. But after a few months of getting to know each other, that person might just refer others to you. 

Focus on What You Can Offer

To get the most out of networking, find ways to help others. That might mean connecting a new contact to someone who can help them in their business or offering advice to someone in your field (hey, maybe you're that mentor!). It can even be as simple as giving a referral for a new Netflix movie to check out.

When you take the focus off of what a new contact can do for you and simply begin to create relationships, you build that trust that is crucial to decision-making. 

Networking Online

In addition to attending physical meetings, you can also network online. LinkedIn is an excellent platform for sharing content and ideas, as well as commenting on what others post.

If you aren't currently connected to your clients (past or present), former contacts, and even former coworkers, take time to connect with them now.  Then, remain active on the site — comment on and share people's posts, share your own content, and don't forget to send out a few personal notes — those can go a long way to building trust in your business relationships. The bottom line is: the more you give, the more you'll get.

Remember: networking is an ongoing process. You need to continue to attend events to meet new people and build relationships with ones you’ve already met.

You never know how networking will help you, so be open and let the magic happen.