Help I Stink at Networking

There are a number of steps that determine how successful someone is when they are networking. You don't have to be a RockStar at all of these to be successful, in fact it's natural if you are stronger in some areas and weaker in others. However, you have to make sure your weaknesses aren't undermining your efforts. For example, if you are great at meeting new people but horrible at follow up, you probably have a bunch of business cards at home of people you've met but have never spoken to again. Conversely, you might be great at creating a long-term relationship but horrible at meeting new people, which means you probably have a strong, but too-small, network.

How do you prevent these weak areas from sabotaging your networking success? Here are four of the main areas where people have challenges, and ways to fix them:

Meeting New People - If you aren't good at bringing new contacts into your network, you're not getting the benefits of networking because you can't reach the critical mass necessary.

1. Make a list of the types of people you want in your network, and use Google to find events that they would attend (industry or trade meetings, formal networking events, Chambers of Commerce).
2. If you are nervous about going alone, take a friend with you for moral support and ask them to hold you accountable for meeting at least 3 new people.
3. Use online social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter. These can be great tools for meeting new professionals who have similar interests as you.

Following Up - Good networking is about building relationships, and if you don't have a way to follow up with the people you meet, you don't have the chance to build those relationships.

1. Use a system to store all of your contact information. It can be Outlook, LinkedIn or a spreadsheet, but keep all of your connection information in one place. Putting the info into the computer makes it easily searchable
2. Create a habit of immediate follow up. When you get a new business card or meet someone new, send them a quick email or send a short note to say "nice to meet you".
3. Send an email (even a group email using blind cc:) monthly or quarterly to your network to keep them in the know and stay on their radar.

Helping People - The more value you can bring to a relationship, the stronger the bonds. Look for ways to help the people in your network solve their problems and challenges.

1. Make one introduction a week. Look through your list of contacts, and look for an opportunity to introduce two of them. They might have the opportunity to work with each other, they might have similar career paths, or maybe they would get along well.
2. When you read an interesting article online ask yourself, "Who do I know that would benefit from this information?" Email them a link to the article.
3. Share relevant information on professional social media sites - but don't overwhelm your networks with fluff - that's not helping!

Leveraging Relationships - The purpose of professional networking is to help others, but also to let them help you.

1. Ask for introductions. If you know your connection has a relationship with someone you'd like to meet, ask for them to introduce you by email or even with a quick phone call. And then follow up on the introduction
2. When you have professional questions, realize that someone in your network probably has the answer. Asking for help can be a huge time saver (and actually builds the relationship).
3. Say thank you! C'mon, it's just good manners (and if you don't say thank you, why would they help you in the future?)

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