Networking rule #1………..treat others like you want to be treated. This not only applies to life but also to networking. Too often I see that networking becomes lopsided and people too often network because of what is in it for them. I see this daily even in my own practice. Often various people will invite me to LinkIn. I have a general practice of wanting to talk to or meet those people before accepting the invitation so that we can best understand how we can support one anothers network. The rate that people are willing to do this is about 50%. This tells me that they are only wanting to network based on what’s in it for them. These are not people I want in my network.
Remember that your network reflects on you. Ask yourself is your network helping or hurting your reputation? We also each have the same responsibility to our own network. Ask yourself, am I an asset to my network? Am I willing to give as much as I take? Do I return calls and emails from my network? Am I willing to make connections for others in my network? Do I keep my network engaged on an ongoing basis or only when I need them?
I hear the frustration from many of my clients about not having networking calls and emails returned. My initial advice to them – never be one of those people.
