The Art of Networking: Building Meaningful Connections for Personal and Professional Growth
Networking is a little bit like marmite.
If you mention it to any small business owner, you’ll typically get a ‘love it’ or ‘hate it’ response.
But however you might feel about it, there’s no doubt that it can be incredibly effective. In fact, 80% of professionals surveyed said they felt networking was essential to their business success.
Whether you’re interested in finding new clients, learning from others, or finding suppliers and potential business partners, networking can be great for both your business development and personal development.
In this post, we’ll cover some of the common questions and misconceptions people have about networking, discuss the pros and cons of physical and virtual networking, look at some networking tips, and end with some popular business networks that you might want to consider.
What is networking?
If you’re looking for a dictionary definition, there’s a good overview from Unbiased that describes it as
“… the process of building up mutually beneficial relationships with other businesses and prospective clients in the hope that they can benefit your business.”
I personally think this is a bit dry and sounds a little self serving!
If I had to give my own definition, I see networking as a great way to meet new people, learn from other people’s experiences and expertise, identify opportunities for collaboration and connect with people that can benefit from my skills and offerings.
Does networking actually work?
Short answer? Yes! Or at least it has for me.
I’ve been a member of 1N and 4N for 2 and if I had to make an educated guess about how many of my current clients have come as a result of networking — I’d probably say it’s in the region of 80–90%. But more importantly for me is the number of new people I’ve met that I can now genuinely call friends.
So why do some people believe that networking isn’t effective?
One potential reason is that they approach it with expectations of immediate results. Maybe they’ve been to a couple of networking events, joined a couple of taster sessions with an online networking group, and have had no business from it yet.
The truth is, this is normal. Networking can take time before it starts to deliver meaningful results. It’s very rare to turn up to a couple of events and find a mentor, meet friends for life and fill up your order book or client roster!
I tend to see networking in the same way that I view SEO.
SEO isn’t something you try for a week or two, then abandon because you’re not on page one of the search listings. It’s an ongoing process that can take a little time to deliver results, but if you do the right things consistently — you’re in with a great chance of seeing an impressive return on your efforts. It’s exactly the same with networking.
Another reason that people might choose to avoid networking is because they hold outdated misconceptions of a room full of people all handing out as many business cards as they can, and trying to pitch themselves to anyone who’ll listen.
While there might still be a handful of people who attempt to network this way, it’s really not an effective approach to modern networking — and not one you see too often!
In-Person vs. Virtual Networking
The world of networking has actually gone through a lot of changes in the last few years, a lot of which were driven by the Covid pandemic.
Out of necessity during the lockdowns, many networking groups moved online and managed their meetings through Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. The lockdown period also prompted many new online virtual networking opportunities to open up, trying to help people stay connected online for both personal and professional reasons.
Now that things are getting back to normal, some traditional networking groups have moved back to physical meetings, but many online networking opportunities and online events still exist. This is good news for business owners, as it’s possible to get the best of both worlds!
If you’re wondering which is better, in-person or virtual networking — it’s a tough one to call.
On the one hand, you really can’t beat the face-to-face interactions of in-person networking. It’s a lot better for being able to build deeper personal connections, and have meaningful conversations without distractions. Oh…and there is often coffee and food provided at events, which I always see as a bonus!
If your business is focused on serving local customers, physical networking events in your area are likely to be ideal — you might not want or need the national (or international) reach of a virtual networking group, and the people you meet are more likely to have local connections. But if you’re trying to reach a wider audience, you can meet people from all over the world in online networking communities. It really depends on what the right solution is for your business.
Another huge plus point for virtual networking is the fact that you can connect with people from the comfort of your own office. You don’t have to worry about rush hour traffic, parking or making it back in time for your next meeting. It’s also more inclusive for people who may struggle to make it to a physical meeting.
But one downside I find with online networking is being unsure if people in the group are giving it their full attention. For example, I suspect most office and home office setups have a dual screen — potentially with work emails on one screen, and virtual networking on the other. I wouldn’t blame anyone for wanting to keep on top of things and multi-task, but it’s good etiquette to close down any unnecessary windows when you’re networking virtually.
What’s the best way to approach networking?
I don’t think it’s helpful or accurate to suggest a ‘best way’ to approach networking. Everyone is unique and networking wouldn’t be the fun experience it is if everyone was approaching it the same way.
So what I’ve done instead is put together a list of tips that I’ve personally found useful in my 4 years of networking:
Be a farmer not a hunter
I know, I’m full of analogies today.
But it’s far better to approach networking with a patient, nurturing mindset than an aggressive, opportunistic one. Have fun, meet new people, plant the seeds about what you do and how you can help people…but then grow meaningful relationships over time.
Be authentic and build trust
This really ties into the first point, but it’s really important to be honest and authentic in your approach, and build trust with the people you meet.
Set clear goals
You can still set goals with your ‘farmer’ mindset! I’d recommend having a long term goal, and a goal for each session you attend.
An example of a long-term goal might be “I’m going to find a business mentor, and close four new pieces of business from networking in the next 6 months,”
An example of a goal for a session might be “I’m going to find out how Jenny creates such engaging social media ads, and also make sure I ask Greg how I can donate to his charity event”
It really can be that simple — but having clear goals can make sure you get the most out of each session and build the relationships you want to build.
Practice your elevator pitch
It may give you a knot in your stomach, but most networking groups give you between 30 seconds and a minute each session to tell everyone who you are, and what you do.
This gets a lot easier over time, but if you’re new to networking, it’s worth practicing your elevator pitch and make sure you can communicate your story and business pitch really succinctly.
Be proactive
This is another thing that is easier said than done, especially if you’re a new member to an established networking group. But try not to wait for others to approach you — it’s okay to make the first move and ask for one to one catch ups after group sessions, or engage people with open ended questions to find out more about their business.
Don’t forget the follow up
Networking doesn’t end after an event. It’s important to build your relationships by regularly checking in, connecting on Linkedin and showing genuine interest in the business and activities of the people you’ve met in your networking groups. Emailing to ask for 121s or to offer a freebie is also a great idea.
Networking Groups in the UK
Whatever your industry or aim for networking, there’s likely to be a relevant networking group. There are certainly far too many to list in this article!
The following sites have some in-depth overviews of some popular networking groups in the UK:
But to get you started with four business networks that I’m familiar with, it’s worth checking out:
4 Networking
4N is where I do a lot of my networking. I am a VIP member which means for one flat fee I can attend as many online meetings as I want, and I get a discount for face-to-face meetings — and I really take advantage of this! I meet a lot of people and nurture relationships I have been building for years.
Find out more: https://4nonline.biz/
1 Networking
For complete transparency, I’ve been a member of 1N for over 2 years. It’s where I’ve met a lot of different people and clients!
What I love about it is I see the same people every week — plus new visitors and new members and we could the relationships and genuinely want to help each other’s businesses grow.
Find out more: https://1networking.biz/
BNI
BNI is one of the most established business networks in the world, having started way back in 1985!
If in-person networking is what you’re looking for, and you’re commercially focused — there are BNI chapters across the country. It’s easy to find the nearest chapter to you on their website.
Find out more: https://bni.co.uk/en-GB/index
Meeow
If online networking is more your thing, take a look at Meeow. It’s a slightly different approach to networking, where someone sets up a meeting to talk about a particular topic and three other people on the Meeow network join. It’s a great way to find out more about new topics, or to share your own knowledge!
Find out more: https://www.meeow.com/about
Need some advice on how to succeed with networking?
Networking can be really beneficial for both your personal and professional growth.
When you embrace a long-term approach to networking, you can build meaningful connections that can lead to incredible opportunities.
Hopefully this article has given you some useful tips and ideas for getting started, but in the spirit of networking, if you want to chat to find out more — just give me a call!
