Business Networking Best Practices
One of the first questions you might be asking yourself when you think about business networking best practices is, HOW to network. And that’s fair, because there’s many things that people think networking is that it actually isn’t.
To start off our new blog series entitled “how to network”, we’ll begin with reviewing our business networking best practices, why they matter, and even some handy tips on how you can start to implement them in your future interactions.
So let’s get started.
Business Networking Best Practices
1. Always use a person’s name when speaking to them
Using a person’s name matters to them, so it should matter to you as well.
Of equal value is how often you use a person’s name when talking to them, and why that’s important. To answer the why, we’ll reference one of our favourite quotes:
“A person’s name is the greatest connection to their own identity and individuality. Some might say it is the most important word in the world to that person.” -Joyce E. A. Russell, Dean of the Villanova School of Business
She also goes on to say….
“It is the one way we can easily get someone’s attention. It is a sign of courtesy and a way of recognizing them. When someone remembers our name after meeting us, we feel respected and more important–it makes a positive and lasting impression on us.”
Your Action Step: Create a culture in your organization, or within your team, where everyone uses a person’s name in conversation, whether with other employees, clients, or customers.
2. Use small talk to get conversational traction
Did you know that small talk is actually useful? Small talk works when both people understand the ‘memo.’ The memo reads something like this:
Hello,
I recognize that this small talk thing is going to be a little awkward. We each need to play our part and work on having a back-and-forth dialogue. We should think of this small talk as an upfront investment to jump-start an actual conversation with one another. And, let’s not set the bar too high for ourselves. We don’t have to be particularly witty; we just have to be interested in each other. Are you good with that?
It can be uncomfortable trying to get conversational traction with a stranger as they may not help the process of back-and-forth conversation if they ‘haven’t gotten the memo’.
Your Action Step: Make sure that everyone on your team, including yourself, understands this concept. It makes small talk less daunting.
3. Place a significant value on internal networking
This business networking best practice is especially important when you’re new to a role. It’s extremely important that you get networked with your new workmates quickly!
William Byham, an author and Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, in his classic Harvard Business Review article entitled “Start Networking Right Away (Even If you hate it)” , explains why when you’re starting a new role, internal networking is important.
He says, “even if you have an aversion to networking—as many people do—it’s imperative to start forging deliberate connections within the first 30 to 60 days after a promotion, the period when people in a new division or company are making up their minds about whether you’re dependable—or a loser who should never have been hired” (or given this new role.)
This is very useful networking advice for everyone.
Your Action Step: Make it a priority to develop meaningful connections with workmates beyond the cubicles, workstations, or computers you sit in front of. The benefits include access to resources, information, new friends (and champions), and help solving problems. Challenge your teammates to do the same. “What new person did you meet this week?”
4. Build strategic networks
William Byham has an excellent white paper on how and why to build a strategic network (aka, your “business network”.) We’ve summarized the important bits below.
Byham states that “as organizations get larger, adopt complicated structures, become increasingly international” the knowledge needed to do the job, versus personal knowledge, becomes more pronounced.
Managers “need to know more than ever about what’s going on both internally and within those outside entities (government, competitors, vendors, pressure groups) that can affect their organization.”
To bridge this knowledge gap, “individuals have to take an active role in setting up their own communication channels so they can anticipate emerging issues, (and) get ahead of breaking information.”
Your Action Step: Start practicing Byham’s four steps.
Byham’s Four Steps To Building a Strategic Network
- Figure out who should be in your network
- Dare to introduce yourself
- Ask for help
- Networking must be reciprocal
5. Always look for opportunities
Do you ever feel stuck in a rut? Are no new opportunities coming your way, either personally or professionally? Is this due to your luck on the wane?
Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, UK says, “Lucky people create, notice, and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives…If luck means being in the right place at the right time, being in the right place at the right time is actually all about being in the right state of mind.”
We call this ‘right state of mind’ shepa, the Tibetan term for consciousness or awareness.
So what can you do to create your own luck?
Follow these four steps:
- If you are standing next to someone, put down your phone and start a conversation with that person.
- Scroll through your contacts and find some dormant ties (people you haven’t talked to in a few years) and reconnect. As The Power of Reconnection explains, it’s more effective than you would expect.
- Get serious about building your strategic network. Watch this four-minute video featuring Herminia Ibarra: Why we need more strategic networks.
- Do something nice for someone else. Do it often. What goes around comes around—you cannot escape karma.
Your Action Step: Be more aware of the importance of luck in your connection with others. We say, “There’s a 100% guarantee if you don’t speak to that person, nothing will happen.”
6. Leave your office
Be more accessible by getting out of your ivory tower, office, whatever you want to call it!
We’ll explain this further with a story about Michelle Howard who became the first woman in the U.S. Navy’s 236-year history to be promoted to four-star admiral and Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
While in the second highest position in the Navy, one might wonder how she got her morning coffee. An aide could have brought her a coffee, but instead, Howard did this:
“I always get up from my desk and walk down to Dunkin’ Donuts, and get a large Dunkin’ Donuts with cream and sugar. It’s amazing what that walk can do for you. I run into people around the building, in the line, the Dunkin’ Donuts people know me–you learn a lot about the heartbeat of the building and what’s going on in people’s lives.”
Kathryn Dill mentions Michelle Howard in her Forbes article, “Leadership Lessons From Admiral Michelle Howard” and says that her coffee run, which happened “between 06:30 hours and 06:40 hours each morning–also provides colleagues access to the second most powerful officer in the U.S. Navy…I’ve actually had some people who will hang out in the morning to ambush me in the Dunkin’ Donuts line!”
Your Action Step: Eat more donuts! Actually, the key takeaway from our story about Michelle Howard? Leaving your office has significant benefits for you, your team, and your career – so make sure you do!
7. Learn to pronounce people’s names correctly
Ahir Shah in The Guardian states, “I refuse to believe my name is too difficult for people to pronounce”.
He makes a good point. You have to learn to pronounce people’s names correctly.
Ahir shares the story of his dad who worked with a man named Kenneth. “When Kenneth asked if he could call my dad Victor, my father responded, ”That depends. Can I call you Kanubhai?”
Tip # 3 in our BCBusiness opinion piece “Networking in different cultures and countries” explains why people on a conference or video call with international colleagues or customers should be able to properly pronounce the names of everyone on the call.
For more on this, see our tip on the importance of saying a person’s name in conversation.
Your Action Step: Make the effort. There’s no excuse in this global world to not learn how to pronounce someone’s name.
8. Before walking into a room full of strangers, talk positively to yourself
We’re always looking at ways to help people overcome networking nervosus.
We remind them that they aren’t the only ones who feel anxious in networking situations. They need to remember that they are walking into a room full of human beings who feel the same more than 60% of the time. That’s for sure!
We also encourage them to do a little self-talk before entering the room.
Gustavo Razzetti (who writes great blogs for Medium), in an article on self-awareness indicates that talking to oneself is an undervalued skill. He says, “The quality of your inner speech is critical — the more positive your words, the better.”
So, instead of focusing on negative statements such as:
- I don’t like doing this
- I’m too busy and;
- This will probably be a waste of time
Set yourself up for success by saying:
- I am going to meet some interesting and nice people
- I am going to learn new things
- I am going to make others feel more comfortable by being welcoming, friendly and relaxed
Professor Alain Morin, a PhD in Psychology says in his article “Self-talk and Self-awareness: On the Nature of the Relation” that self-talk is “an important psychological activity….that shapes our thoughts, feelings and behaviors.”
Your Action Step: Start shaping your self-talk in a positive way to set yourself up for success before you enter a networking situation.
9. AHBC (Always Have Business Cards)
If you’re leaving the house, the office, etc. you need to have business cards with you. It really isn’t some antiquated idea. They are part of your brand. It’s how people can get in touch with you again. It’s really a no-brainer to carry them. We understand there are other ways to connect (share LinkedIn information, share phone numbers, etc.) but don’t dismiss business cards.
If you don’t have business cards, you really should ask your employer. They’re an essential tool! And, no one has come up with a really good substitute for the business card, yet…
Your Action Step: Put business cards in the pockets of all the jackets you own, in your car, in your backpack, briefcase, and golf bag. When you need one, you will have one!
Wrapping it Up
Learning how to network can seem daunting at first, but knowing the business networking best practices we just discussed will help you become an awesome networker and connector.
We also highly recommend that you share this article with your workmates, LinkedIn profile, partners, whomever you think would benefit from reading it!
In addition, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE weekly networking tips, so you can continue your networking journey beyond this article.
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