Is networking something you do naturally?  To many it is considered a waste of time. What is all the fuss about?  Yet, it remains one of our best resources to those of us who treat ‘networking’ as a process, a powerful tool. Building relationships provides access to interesting people, many of whom take part as guest speakers during my courses. Recently Pietermaritzburg businessman Yunus Asmall was the guest speaker for the Treverton Post Matric students.

Guest speaker, Pietermaritzburg businessman Yunus Asmall and Treverton Post Matric students.

Training in ‘Networking Tactics’ is based on my two books, ‘Networking Tactics:  how to achieve success through personal networking’ and ‘ABCs of Effective Networking’.  The contents of the workshops are tailored to meet the needs of specific groups.  The main question this training answers is ‘how do we use networking to help achieve our vision?’  While acknowledging the importance of social media sites, these workshops concentrate more on the importance of building (and sustaining) positive relationships through personal interaction.

The benefits of personal networking are enormous.  At the workshops, each group develops their own list of benefits.  Here is a consolidation from the most recent workshops:

Benefits of personal networking

Personal networking:

• Improves understanding of differences (generational values, cultural awareness, gender, sexual preferences) thus enabling us to be more ‘open-minded’ and work more effectively with a wider range of people.
• Makes us feel more inspired, encouraged and motivated.
• Builds our reputation.
• Provides an opportunity to say ‘what can I do for you?’ and this is the essence of how people should go about networking.
• Broadens our knowledge base and expands our horizons through enabling us to learn something new - skills enhancement.
• Advances our careers and business as we like to deal with people we know and trust.  People have confidence working with us.
• Builds and strengthens long-term beneficial relationships.
• Provides a sense of belonging.
• Builds confidence and self-esteem within the group and in association with other teams.
• Provides a direct route to people who are important or who can enhance our lives.
• Enables us to socialise in a meaningful way and meet new ‘like-minded’ people.
• Helps us meet other important role-players and maintain personal relationships with stakeholders.
• Helps expedite processes because relationships already exist, trust is already built and we don’t have to start from scratch when starting a new project.
• Helps know who to go to when we are involved in something new.
• Provides referrals and job opportunities.
• Enhances performance through resource sharing and co-operation.
• Enables us to stay up-to-date’ with industry related (or other) topics and developments.
• Creates opportunities in our business and private lives.
• Provides a platform for recognition.
• Provides a support-system.
• Provides access to new ideas and an avenue for sharing ideas.
• Saves time and resources through sharing information and exchanging ideas.
• Gains us access to relevant information in the fastest possible way.
• Provides a support system through access to trusted feedback.  We can test new ideas within the ‘safety-net’
• Provides people to give us the right advice.
• Is a source of motivation and inspiration.
• An excellent marketing tool, whether we are marketing our business or marketing ourselves.
• Eases the ‘work-load’ because we are dealing directly with people we know and trust.
• Enables us to find better ways of doing things and find unique new products.
• Positively promotes our branding.
• Helps us source the best products and services.
• Opens opportunities for new areas of business – suppliers, customers, partners, products, and services.
• Exposures us to new people, environments and ideas creating opportunities to discover new ways of doing things.
• Provides opportunities to hear other people’s problems and challenges with a view to finding solutions.
• Increases visibility – people are more likely to think of us when an opportunity arises.
• Provides fun and enjoyment.
• Helps us find out what is new on the market.

For further information on Networking Tactics workshops or motivational talks please contact me - brenda@146.66.90.172,  Phone: +27 33 3425432, Mobile: + 27 82 4993311.