Chapter 51
Now What?
You have dealt with the Business of YOU. You are confident. You know the mechanics of networking, which means you're well-equipped to present a professional, put-together image that will inspire meaningful connections. Your attitude is on track and you're committed to giving the consistent effort required to create a profitable network.
Now what? Where do you need to go to meet the right people? Who are the “right” people? Once you meet them, what do you do to transition those casual business-card contacts into worthwhile business relationships?
Regardless of how professional and polished your image is and how well you can deliver all the elements of networking, if you don't put yourself in positions to use them, you're not going to grow your network. Talking about networking and actually networking are two different things.
It is amazing how people will say they want to build their network, but then a month later they still haven't gone to an event or made an effort to connect with key contacts. Bottom line: if you want to expand your network, then you have to network.
Networking takes work. As we established earlier, it takes six months or as many as six to eight casual encounters before you'll hit someone's radar screen and start to lower the natural trust barrier. You can lower the number of interactions required by deepening the intensity of each exchange. For example, you'll make more of an impression by having a solid, nonconfrontational conversation ...
