This document provides an overview of networking and best practices for business networking. It defines networking as developing informal contacts to further one's career. There are four main types of networking groups: professional industry associations, general interest city groups, civic and non-profit organizations, and personal social groups. The document outlines rules for effective networking, such as attending regularly, arranging one-on-one meetings, giving referrals generously without expectation of immediate return, and focusing on facilitating business transactions between contacts rather than just socializing. The goal of business networking is to work one's network to generate opportunities.

1. Networking 101
July 17, 2012

2. What is
Networking?

4. Networking =
the developing of contacts or exchanging of
information with others in an informal network, as
to further a career

5. “Rolodex power. Your power is almost
directly proportional to the thickness of your
Rolodex, and the time you spend
maintaining it. Put bluntly the most potent
people I've known have been the best
networkers -- they ‘know everybody from
everywhere’ and have just been out to lunch
with most of them.”
-Tom Peters (1942 -), The Pursuit of Wow

6. Everyone has a network

9. 4 Types of Business
Networking

10. •Professional Industry/Trade Associations
(whatever the profession, there’s a national
association for it)
•Professional General Interest/City groups
(no matter the city, there are people promoting
business in it)

11. •Civic & NonProfit Organizations (wherever
you live, there are do-gooders)
•Personal groups, a.k.a. Happy Hours,
Coffee Clutches, Standing-on-the-sidelines
of kickball games (your friends want to go to
Happy Hour and you meet people!)

12. •AIGA – the professional Assn for Design
•Independent Floral Designers Assn
•(Beer) Brewer’s Assn of MD
•National Association for the
Advancement of Science & Art in
Sexuality (NAASAS).
•The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC)

13. •ISES – Intl Special Event Society
•NACE – Natl Assn of Catering Executives
•PCMA – Professional Convention
Management Assn
•Visit Baltimore (our local CVB)
•HSMAI – Hospitality Sales & Mktg Assn
•Professional Wedding Guild (MD)

15. The Rules
for Business Networking

16. Go with another person – and
preferably someone who doesn’t
work for the same company.
(it’s more fun to have a partner and
you won’t look so pathetic standing
alone)

17. Have a firm
handshake!

18. Beware of Clumping!

19. Volunteer to join a
committee
(you’ll be surprised at the
things you’ll learn)

20. Attend Regularly
(people will start to
anticipate your
attendance)

21. Arrange one-to-ones with
people you know – know
them better.

22. Being connected to lots of
people will NOT make you
successful.

23. Give Referrals!

24. Give Referrals!

25. Give Referrals!

26. The currency of real
networking is not greed
but generosity.
-Keith Ferrazzi, Never Eat Alone

27. Don’t expect to
receive any referrals
until you give
referrals.

28. Don’t expect referrals
from the people you
referred business
to…

29. Universal Law:
Energy in, Energy Out
Just not in the same form.

30. Give without remembering.
Receive without forgetting.

31. Encourage interactions.
Encourage referrals.
Encourage transactions.

32. It’s business networking,
not social networking!

33. Business networks are not
business networks without
business happening
somewhere.

34. You don’t need to learn to
“work a room”,
You need to learn how to
work your network.

35. The No No’s
of Networking

38. NO dead fish
handshake!

39. Don’t net-whack.

40. “Network Selectively. Nothing
says ‘business newbie’ like
shotgun networking. ‘You
never know when someone
might say yes’ is marketing for
dummies.”
-Steve Pavlina, 10 Business Lessons From a
Snarky Entrepreneur

41. Did I mention
“Social Networking?”

44. Thank you
Petra Compel, Director
pcompel@featsinc.com
Read the blog www.petrasgab.wordpress.com