Create an instruction manual for all distributors highlighting the different ways to promote their network marketing business. Create a dealer kit for all potential dealers that includes the user manual, catalog, price list, and order forms. Of course, there is a fine line between proper networking, being a valuable member of a business world, and asking for business. You need to know your audience and really want to help them, not just make more sales. I knew some of this company`s weak spots in terms of social media, so I was able to quickly give free advice on how it could improve. It usually works in two ways: they follow your advice and “tinker with them,” or they`re so impressed with your in-depth knowledge that they hire you. My free advice brought me the latter. Many managers equate a good network with a large database of contacts or participation in top-notch conferences and events. In fact, we have seen people launch a networking initiative by improving their records or introducing a network management tool.
But they`re hesitant at the next step – picking up the phone. Instead, they are waiting until they need something urgently. The best networkers do the exact opposite: they take every opportunity to give and receive from the network, whether they need help or not. If you`re attending an event, either in person or virtually, here are some steps to make sure you move on to the networking part: One of the most intimidating aspects of strategic networking is that there often doesn`t seem to be a natural “excuse” for contacting a superior person outside of their role or business unit. It`s hard to build a relationship with someone, let alone a leader, without a reason for interaction, such as a shared task or goal. All managers need to establish good working relationships with people who can help them in their work. The number and breadth of people involved can be impressive – these operational networks include not only direct employees and supervisors, but also colleagues within a business unit, other internal actors with the power to block or support a project, and key external actors such as suppliers, distributors and customers. The purpose of this type of networking is to ensure coordination and collaboration between people who need to know and trust each other to accomplish their immediate tasks. It is not always easy, but it is relatively simple, because the task provides a clear orientation and criterion for belonging to the network: either you are needed for the work and help to do it, or you are not. While we saw managers struggling to develop their professional relationships in ways that felt both natural and legitimate to them, we repeatedly saw them move their time and energy from operational networking to face-to-face networking. For people who have rarely looked outside their organization, this is an important first step that fosters a better understanding of themselves and the environment in which they operate. Ultimately, however, personal networking alone will not allow executives to get through leadership change.
Aspiring leaders can find people who spark new interests, but don`t get acquainted with those in power at the higher level than them. Or they may gain new influence within a professional community, but not put those connections at the service of business goals. For this reason, managers who know they need to develop their networking skills and really make an effort to do so may still feel like they`ve wasted their time and energy. As we`ll see, face-to-face networking won`t help a manager change leadership unless they learn how to bring these connections to the company`s strategy. Other managers make outward-inside connections by leveraging their functional interests or expertise. For example, communities of practice exist (or can easily be created on the Internet) in almost every industry, from brand management to Six Sigma to global strategy. Smart managers look to like-minded people outside their organization to contribute and increase their knowledge. The information they collect becomes, in most cases, the “hook” for making internal connections. Social media like LinkedIn and Facebook can be great networking tools, but business owners shouldn`t ignore the power of face-to-face interaction.
“A mix of the two is great,” says Elliot. Working alongside actors with different affiliations, backgrounds, goals, and incentives requires a manager to formulate business rather than functional goals and work across the coalitions and networks needed to sell ideas and compete for resources. Think of Sophie, a manager who, after climbing the logistics and sales ladder, was stunned to learn that the CEO was considering a radical reorganization of her role that would deprive her of certain responsibilities. Previously rewarded for incremental annual improvements, she had not noticed a change in priorities in the broader market and the resulting internal mix of resources and power at the higher levels of her company. Despite building a loyal and successful team, she had few connections outside her group that helped her anticipate new imperatives, let alone give her ideas on how to meet them. After arguing that the distribution issues were within its competence and unconvincing, it engaged consultants to assist it in preparing a counter-proposal. But Sophie`s boss simply concluded that she lacked a broad, long-term business perspective. Frustrated, Sophie is thinking about leaving the company. It wasn`t until she received patient coaching from a senior executive that she realized she needed to leave her unit and talk to thought leaders inside and outside the company to create a saleable plan for the future. “Entrepreneurs often have a narrow view because they`re so focused on their own business,” says Elliot. “Meeting people from outside your industry can give your business a new perspective.” The key to a good strategic network is leverage: the ability to pool information, support and resources from one sector of one network to achieve results in another.
Strategic networkers use indirect influence and convince one person in the network to get another person who is not on the network to take the necessary action. In addition, strategic networkers do not only influence their relational environment. They shape it in their image by moving and hiring subordinates, switching suppliers and funding sources, pushing to place allies in peer positions, and even restructuring their boards to create networks that benefit their business goals. Jody has given up such tactics, but not her opponents. Early in my freelance career, I drove through the San Francisco Bay Area and stopped to look at a table with free items in someone`s front yard. In the end, I had a conversation with the owner, who turned out to be the co-founder of a creative agency. She gave me her business card, and a few months later I was listed on her agency`s website as one of her freelance writers! All because of a chance meeting that wasn`t supposed to be a networking opportunity. These days, with so many people working from home and getting creative with online events, virtual networking is on the rise.