Modus operandi of Networking

Networking is the process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop contacts. This process adds value not just for us and others but also for many participants who are linked in this value chain. Only when we believe that the person who is going to help us achieve success is right next to us, do we understand the importance of interaction. In this era of globalization and social media, the distance between people is positively reduced. Interaction and sharing of ideas is very easy. Sharing the right idea to the right person can make a huge difference when the prospects of the idea materialize.

Another great advantage of networking is the benefit of synergy that it can result into. Synergy is a theory which advocates that the creation of the whole is greater than the sum of its simple parts. This sort of a synergy is possible when great networks are built. One the earliest attempts to encourage networking were the idea of temples, where people met, discussed issues and joined hands to get into productive activities. If it were not for interaction, the world wouldn’t have moved this far.

This networking is very important in the professional sphere. The result of which can be huge; both for the individuals and the organization. There are a few ways by which this networking can start. We will see the ways in which valuable networking is constructed. Our ideas for networking are localized to the present situation, where we have a lot of mobile application and internet operating. We propose to build this networking by considering and incorporating the presence of social media sites such as LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, etc. There are positive chances that we can build our prospective clientele by proper contact building. This step would be a great head start for anyone and it surely contributes to our future operations. Networking need not be limited with just our peer and seniors, we can also network with people from different industries to gain knowledge on the kind of service that they require. We can find people who need certain service and respond by helping them reach the solution.We can either perform it ourselves or link them with someone in our network chain who is specialized in it, by acting as an intermediary. In both ways we are enhancing value and building trust.

The primary factors in networking are informing people of your professional capabilities and then inculcating trust. Firstly, focus on your public profile; LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Keep it perfectly updated with your work, experience and accolades. These profiles are the portals through which people can reach you. It becomes easy for people to find us and also to refer us to others who might need our expertise. Keep your public profiles updated with industry facts and news, this communicates to others that we are staying relevant in the industry. Regular posting of information communicates to others that we are aware of the industry changes and makes us a go-to person once they encounter any issue related to the industry we operate in. Once they have any doubt or need any information, we will be the first person they approach for assistance.

Start your own website, blog page or Youtube channel and enhance it with content. In this way, we are giving value at free of cost to others and smartly building our client base. Once people understand that we have solutions, they address their problems to us. Since, we have initially benefited them with free value; they psychologically feel they are economically better as they have our content even before the paid service. Posting regular snippets or updating the story page in Instagram can also serve the purpose.

Join social groups and get connected with people. Discuss current issues with them. They can be from our industry or a different industry, in both ways it’s better for us. Join Public writing and speaking forums and deliver your opinion, we can find people who agree as well disagree with us. This polarity that is created when there is a disagreement of opinion can help people to remember us and reach out to us for any suggestions or help. Another personalized way would be to form or join Whatsapp or Facebook groups and discuss important issues with our peers; this can update us with industry new. Whether to be active or passive in the group is a choice based out from the composition and information in the group.

Actively attend events such as lectures, conferences, workshops and seminars. This is the easiest way to meet and network with people. We can also learn expert opinion and suggestions from these forums. Another suggestion would be to surf through our contacts and bifurcate it into two categories. The first one is the set of people who belong to our industry; juniors or seniors. The second is the set of people who are from different industries. We can use the first set to discuss opinions and take suggestions. Then use the second group to share feedback and pass professional advice. The first group is our potential resource, from where we get our information and the second is our potential clientele to whom we can pass on the service. Maintaining this dichotomy would benefit us in the long run.

An changing trend is the growing options and choices present in social media sites to aid business nexus. We have Instagram Professional, WhatsApp Beta,etc which are tailor made to suit the growing professional and business needs. These are interactive social networking which enable us to advertise our products, interact with customers, quote prices and also check trends and analysis. These tools are very handy and if the features are exploited better, great outcomes can be reaped. The best take away from these social media sites is the active feedback and review mechanism, which leave a big room for improvement and personalisation

The above ideas are just the first step to become active in the professional world. A larger part remains in how we market ourselves and bring the concept of personal branding. Personal branding is how one promotes oneself. Its the combination of our skills, experience and personality that we want the world to see us.Professionally, it is the picture that we paint for ourselves and how the world sees us. All of this can be used to capitalize on the potential, existing and emerging markets. For, the only thing that remains in between the world and us is opportunity.