Tips on Encouraging Positive Networking TacticsAndrea Nierenberg

© 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ert.10024

In professional circles, networking hasbecome regarded as a necessary skill to

find new customers or even to make contactswithin a company to facilitate completion ofa project. Networking helps to create long-term working relationships by building thembased on respect and with patience.However, networking sometimes has negativeconnotations, because often the people whonetwork make new connections for the solepurpose of collecting names rather thanestablishing quality communications. Thesepeople fail to do the appropriate follow-upwith their new contacts, communicating in away that lacks a personal connection. Manyemployees fail to recognize that establishinggood working relationships requires mucheffort and that getting good results in con-necting with new people cannot be forced.

Managers need to include networking as atraining topic, along with other interpersonalskills encompassed in employee develop-ment. Also, networking activities need to beplanned and monitored. Just as productivityis monitored based on work output, thefront-end work, which includes networking,should be monitored. Employees should beencouraged to make networking action plansto ensure that the most-effective techniquesare used. This article is intended to helpemployers guide employees in developingeffective networking skills that can beapplied in the workplace, as well as withbusiness contacts outside the company.

AVOID NETWORKING ABUSES

Staff members who attend business functionsoften collect a stack of business cards fromwhich they retain only those of individualswith whom they plan to follow up. Althoughimmediately making some type of follow-upconnection is important—writing a short noteto express your pleasure in meeting an indi-vidual or sending information the individualrequested or can use—an immediate pitch forbusiness is not always appropriate. (Few peo-ple get married after the first date—there is acourting process.) Some employees may dothe initial follow-up but may not pay atten-tion to those contacts for months. Thensuddenly, when they have a need to recon-nect, they call, spend a few minutes inidentifying themselves, and, out of the blue,hit potential clients with a request to set upan appointment.

Another illustration of networking abusecomes from a self-marketing class at NewYork University. The incident involved a col-league a student had met while working on aproject team. The project had been a success,and all members of the team had walkedaway with accolades. Over a month hadpassed, and neither the student nor hercoworker had met or communicated witheach other. The former teammate had a newproject to complete, and he needed helpfrom the student. Rather than taking thetime to reestablish rapport, the former team-

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Employment Relations Today

mate demanded the student’s help, remind-ing her of how he had contributed to heraccomplishments in the previous project.Because the project was for the good of theorganization, the student did the work, butthe opportunity to build a longer-term colle-gial relationship was lost.

Examples of poor networking activities arelimitless and include networking in thewrong places. Sometime individuals inappro-priately network at weddings, funerals, andbar mitzvahs, putting friends, neighbors, andassociates on the spot. Worst of all, if this isdone by employees in the name of their com-pany, their company’s reputation becomestarnished because the victims of such net-working attempts think that the companyencourages employees to be so aggressive.

Networking is the process of uniting peo-ple together for the purpose of exchanginginformation for the well-being of all involved,not selling or using people strictly for one’spersonal gain, or coercing or manipulatingsomeone to do what you want.

NETWORKING TAKES TIME AND PATIENCE

When networking, employees must respectother people’s timetables. Most employeeshave had experiences with new contacts whodo not respond in a timely fashion. Anemployee’s attitude might be “I have salesgoals to achieve” or “I must make contactwith all these leads by the end of the weekand know where each one stands.” How canwe move the networking process forwardwithout pushing other people too hard?

When a prospect does not call back afterbeing given a great introduction or offer, it iscritical to ensure that the prospect is notbadgered with demanding follow-up calls.Calls for the purpose of building rapportwith others should never be harsh or imper-sonal, because they can do more harm thangood. Aggressive follow-up calling revealsthe real issue of trying to get some businessout of the prospect within the caller’s timeframe. These types of calls can best beavoided if earlier conversations include acouple of questions, such as “What is theway you prefer to learn about new vendors?”or “What is the best way to present the prod-uct information—on paper, online, or inperson? There is so much valuable informa-tion I can offer, such as [name somethingspecific] that will be of interest to you andthat will cost you nothing to receive.” Whileattempting to move things forward, a compa-ny can become trapped by a deadline thatwill offend outsiders.

Another stumbling block in networkingcan be rushed communications. Hurrying offthe phone or sending a correspondence thatis not carefully written tells the new contactthat you are trying to get through the processin a cold and mechanical way. Even if youhave long lists of customers to handle, it cantake very little effort to develop a personal-ized approach. For example:

Ask the contact how he or she wants theissue to be handled. Some people preferthat everything be done in writing,whereas others would rather receive aquick follow-up phone call or e-mail, let-ting them know about new opportunitiesthat can benefit them.Check in with new client contacts regu-larly. Many companies encourage

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Networking is the process of uniting people together for thepurpose of exchanging information for the well being of allinvolved …

Spring 2002

employees to quickly process client leadswithout having a long-term follow-up planin place. Often the long-term follow-up ismore important. Employees need to marktheir calendars for the next significant dateon the customers’ calendars. This might bea month before new bids are sent out orupcoming trade shows or conferences. Keep a readily available list of all con-tacts. Develop a follow-up plan that canbe appropriate for all contacts and notewhich ones will get unique treatment. Forsome contacts, the follow-up may be tolook for them at upcoming business func-tions; for others, it might be sending noteswith newspaper articles describing some-thing relevant to the prospect’s business.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

Leading by example is one of the best wayssupervisors can help their staffs get their net-working strategy in line with the company’sobjectives for developing new business rela-tionships. Tactics that employers can usewith employees include the following:

Respond with openness and friendliness.Management can show staff membershow to be professional and personable atthe same time. Managers can show thatsincerely learning more about a personrather than merely about the person’swork is an effective way to build a bridge.Offer assistance. Managers need to worktoward being more proactive with theirstaff. When employees seem to be strug-gling with networking, it is important formanagers to recognize problems early andoffer to coach employees by giving per-sonal examples of overcoming the fear ofnetworking and even going with employ-

ees to functions and showing them howits done.Make it part of your routine. Employersneed to include networking in routinetraining opportunities. Supervisors canattend business functions periodically anduse examples at staff meetings of howthey connected with new people througheffective networking tactics.

When employers do the above, they canexpect their staff to treat new contacts withgreater respect. They will be learning about acontact’s needs more carefully, and, mostimportantly, they will be working towardestablishing the groundwork for a potentiallong-term working relationship.

MAKING NETWORKING PRACTICAL

There are two main areas of focus whenencouraging employees to use positive net-working tactics: identifying potential contactsand engaging in appropriate interaction andfollow-up.

Identifying New Contacts

New business contact may be made amongindividuals who share a variety of day-to-dayactivities, but each should be approached ina way that is appropriate to the initial rela-tionship. The following are primary sourcesof contacts:

Satisfied customers. What better referralis there? They can be your best advocates

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Leading by example is one of the best ways supervisors canhelp their staffs get their networking strategy in line withthe company’s objectives for developing new business rela-tionships.

Employment Relations Today

because they know your company’s prod-ucts and services. Customers can be askedto introduce you to others. Most impor-tantly, remember to follow up with youroriginal customer with a personal noteand a phone call.

Friends. In building friendships, we alsobuild mutual trust. We learn about ourfriends’ work and other activities andshare similar information about our workand activities. There may be a number ofopportunities to offer something that willbe useful to a friend or to someone afriend would contact as a referral.Neighbors. Conversations with people liv-ing in the same building or neighborhoodfrequently disclose common interests andcan lead to new prospects.Helpful acquaintances. We often meetnew people by chance or connect withthem in unexpected ways. It can happenon a plane, train, or waiting in line at themovies. Life has a funny way of connect-ing us when we least expect it. We justhave to be ready for the opportunity.

Interacting with Prospects

An article that appeared in Time magazinelast December described the lost art ofappreciating other people. The article point-ed out that today children often forget tosay “thank you” to people for gifts or sendthank-you notes. Effective networking willnever totally rely on business-card scan-ners, PDAs, or customer-relationship-management computer programs. Rather, it

will be based on simple, low-tech, person-to-person tactics that communicate genuineappreciation. The following are some sug-gestions:

Smile. A smile is a universal welcomesign. The people you meet for the firsttime will appreciate your warmth.Look the person in the eye. It’s a compli-ment to look at someone. It’s a way toconnect with someone new in the shortesttime possible.Listen. One of the greatest complimentswe can give another person is to let himor her know that we are listening to, notjust hearing, what is being said.Remember, when we are networking witha new contact, it’s like reading the paper.Let the person tell his or her story so youcan discover the “news you can use.” Body language. First impressions are last-ing ones. Monitor expressions. Sometimes,it may be necessary to loosen up becausemeeting new people can produce a degreeof tension.Avoid being pushy. Be careful of comingon too strong or needy. Even if you havejust lost your last client, avoid having newpeople think that you are desperate.Give genuine compliments. Even withnew contacts, a compliment might beappropriate. While having a conversationwith a new contact, he or she may men-tion something that he or she is proud of.Find a way to sincerely acknowledge thatperson’s achievement. Accept business cards respectfully. Askfor people’s cards, but only offer yourswhen it is requested. When you acceptbusiness cards, look at them beforeputting them away and handle themwith respect.

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Effective networking will never totally rely on business-card scanners, PDAs, or customer-relationship-management computer programs.

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USE THE POWER-OF-THREE

If there is one theme in building better con-tacts in the work world, it is finding ways topersonally connect periodically. One way todo that is to use “the power of three,” whichmeans following up with three contacts a dayby writing a brief note. The goal is to plantseeds to show potential customers how muchthey are appreciated, regardless of when thefollow-up is made in the buying cycle. Hereare some good examples where personalnotes work particularly well:

Offer congratulations. If you hear aboutsomeone’s personal achievement, send acongratulatory note. Even if you readsomething positive about the prospect’scompany, express a sincere thought on thematter. Extend a special invitation. If youremployees participate in a chamber ofcommerce or other local organizationsthat sponsor special programs, suggest

that they invite contacts to join them astheir guest. Give away information. A follow-up notefrom time to time offering some valuableinformation is a good way to keep currentand potential customers aware of yourcompany. The U.S. Postal Service reportsthat only 4 percent of the mail is person-alized. Therefore, sending notes will putyour company ahead of 96 percent of thecompetition.

HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT

Networking is not a one-shot effort; ratherit is a process that, with respect andpatience, can create business connections tolast a lifetime. HR managers are in a uniqueposition to foster, build, and cultivate newrelationships. HR is also best equipped tohelp others within the company to learn thenetworking skills that will increase workingrelationships both inside and outside thecompany.

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Andrea Nierenberg is principal of the Nierenberg Group (www.selfmarketing.com). Sheworks with leading companies to improve interpersonal communications for managementand staff and offers keynote addresses and custom-designed programs on motivationaltechniques, networking tactics, and presentation skills. She is the author of NonstopNetworking: Creating Connections to Last a Lifetime, which will be published inSeptember 2002 by Capital Books. She may be reached via e-mail at andrean@selfmarket-ing.com.