Finding Networking Opportunities | How-to Guides for running your business from Business.com

Chances are you got your first job through somebody you knew who happened to know somebody else who was hiring. Maybe you made your first big sale in your own business the same way. But management by bumping into people isn’t a long-range growth strategy for your company. You can greatly increase your odds of being lucky by networking, a deliberate campaign to connect with people who can connect you with more business. Where do you start? Luckily, the Internet makes finding opportunities to network easier than ever before. The trick is to connect with people in a way that seems as natural as that connection that got you your start – but still gets you where you want to go. Some golden, do-unto-other rules to help you succeed at networking:

Sell yourself, not your product or your company. Your purpose is to build a relationship, not close a deal.
Be a listener first, then a talker. You want to understand the business needs of the other person and look for commonalities with yours.
Be a giver, not a taker. Your generosity with your connections will be reciprocated.
Most importantly, let your passion guide you to your next job or company or network. It’s always more fun working at something you’re passionate about.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a business organization

The best place to meet business people is at a business organization, and the higher the level of the executives, the better the connections.

I recommend: Join vertical industry organizations where other workers in the same type of business can exchange ideas. If you’re a president, try the Young Presidents’ Organization and its vast worldwide network. (I am a director of the YPO chapter in Los Angeles).

Use online business networking

Register yourself on these sites, invite your contacts to register, they’ll invite their contacts to register – and everybody’s connections build far faster than they ever could in the real world.

I recommend: Join Ryze, LinkedIn, EntreMate, Ecademy, Soflow, and openBC.

Use a networking event service

They’ve made a business of bringing together business people for mixers. Give their events a try and see if they pull the kind of people you want to meet.

I recommend: Networking for Professionals organizes high speed events that get everybody introduced to everybody. Net Party promotes more relaxed business-plus-pleasure socializing. Meetup and VentureStreet hook you up with local, ongoing networking and discussion groups.

Use your alumni network – school, military or corporate

Make sure you can find and be found by your old buddies by joining alumni associations.

I recommend: For schools, start with the campus Web site or check Classmates.com, Reunion.com, or Gradfinder.com. Military.com is a gateway to associations, reunions and a veteran’s directory. Classmates.com lists ex-employees of millions of companies but also check Yahoo! Groups and MSN Groups for many corporate alum networks.

Use faith and charity

What better way to build a genuine relationship than through working together for a church or charitable organization. Look for groups geared to business people.

I recommend: Set your direction based on your beliefs, but there are plenty of options from the evangelical CBMC to the environment-activist Business for Social Responsibility. A good place to find responsible, business-oriented charities is Charity Navigator.

Use a blog

It’s a cheap and easy way to make yourself known and reachable through the Web. Start a blog that’s narrowly focused on your business expertise (but not your business), link to other blogs that will link back to you, add opportunities for readers to make comments and email you and – if you’ve got something worthwhile to say – watch your influence and your connections grow.

I recommend: Get some ideas from the Small Business Blog of the Day site. GoDaddy and Yahoo! Small Business sell simple blog creation and hosting services.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

Be prepared to answer the “what do you do” question at a networking event with something more memorable than a job description. Focus on your vision for your company.
Order high quality business cards. They’re your most important personal marketing material.
If you’re networking through your alma mater, don’t forget your old business profs – they’re likely to be well connected in the business community.

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