Scared to meet new people? Me too. But, at the end of 2011, I will have added 48 new people to my network and strengthened relationships with 48 friends and family members. If you are new to my blog, you may not know that starting January 1st, 2011, I challenged myself to a networking challenge. Since embarking on this challenge 8 months ago, I have learned a lot about networking that I want to share with you. I have personally dealt with all of these barriers to networking and I know how hard it is to actually take action.
For the next 6 weeks, I am going to give you 5 things you can do to knock down your networking barriers every week! These are simple things and nothing that should take longer than 15-20 minutes. There are hidden opportunities waiting for you but you just need to make the right connections to find them!
“The idea isn’t to find yourself another environment for tomorrow, but to be constantly creating the environment and community you want for yourself, no matter what may occur.” – Keith Ferrazzi (Author of Never Eat Alone)
- Day 1: Write down your goals. Did you know that you are 95% more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down? If you go through the next 30 days with no clear goal in mind, you won’t be able to achieve anything.
- Day 2: Create a networking action plan. This month, each person that you talk to and each event you attend should be targeted. Ask yourself these questions.
- Day 3: Tell someone. Don’t do this alone unless you want to fail. Tell someone you know and trust so that they can hold you accountable.
- Day 4: Find people for informational interviews. Find people in your network that you want to learn more about. They may not have your dream job but could refer you to someone else who does. Follow up with people you met in the past at professional association meetings, classes and previous jobs. Get referrals from friends and family or contacts you can identify online. Make sure you read these 5 easy steps to an informational interview.
- Day 5: Block off time in your calendar each month to network. Set up certain times each week that you are free to meet with people in your network. For example, every Wednesday at lunch or every Monday after work.
See I told you it would be simple!
Please share in the comments if you are going to try 30 days of connecting! What connecting tips do you have?
