A lot of people in search for a job think twice before engaging into business networking.  They don’t see themselves as networking material, this is, they don’t believe anyone will have an interest in talking to them or even less take time out of their schedules to help them.

Before you take this path and torture yourself with these thoughts, consider these:

1.    People’s natural instinct is to help.  It comes natural to us.  When you see someone in need, the first thing you want to do is give him or her a hand in any way you can, right?

2.    Most probably the person you are talking to has been in your same situation or a similar one, thus, he or she will relate and will want to give back.  In this time of continuous lay-offs, it is very probable that you will meet someone who was looking for a job not too long ago and was also requesting others for a few minutes of their time.  You are just giving them an opportunity to help others.

3.    Maybe they will see you for their own convenience.  Someone may think you are a future potential networking source.  Good networkers know that building a successful network is a continuous process, and they are always on the look for new faces.

4.    You may have something the other person needs, perhaps information, experience, or connections.  If you have networked before, you may have valuable and relevant information about your industry.  Read professional journals, articles, and books.

5.    When meeting with a manager, see it this way:  this is a part of his or her job; he or she is in the position to identify good talent, and there is no way they can find that talent if they don’t meet the candidates.  There won’t necessarily be an open position right away; however, after meeting you, the manager will keep you in mind for future opportunities.

6.    It is possible that someone knows about a job opportunity but doesn’t mention it to you, and this is a common tactic used to maintain the meeting more casual and to be able to assess you without the pressure and demands of a job interview.

7.    You may impress someone with the way you introduced yourself or with how you talked about your background, and he or she may agree to give you some time because you caught his or her attention.  This is a very good opportunity that we hope you take advantage of to start business networking or begin your own network.

The truth is that people have more than one reason to meet you, so, you have two choices: either you network or you are out of work.

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Every time you or someone else gives a referral, many reputations are on the line, but most importantly, yours.

There is no question about it, word-of-mouth is the most effective type of advertising there is, however, it has a very dark side too.  Many people think that referring people involves just getting to know someone, but they forget that nothing is more important than trust, and you can easily kill trust in business.

If you base your business’ marketing on word-of-mouth, be careful, because your integrity and reputation are at constant risk.  When someone refers you, you better live up to his or her expectations.  You have to be professional, and do what you say you can do.  If you mess up, everyone involved will notice.

In the same way, when you refer someone, your reputation is at stake too.  When a referral is good, you greatly strengthen a relationship, but if the referral is a bad one, you can say goodbye to that relationship.  When the person you refer is not a professional, does a poor job or cheats, what suffers the most is your reputation.

You must know the person or business you refer deeply, to be sure that you know all the facts and that you have strong proof of their integrity and professionalism, otherwise, you will end up apologizing to many people and making amends to get your good name back.

One can say that the biggest risk when giving a bad referral is for the giver.  His or her business relationships may follow his or her advice due to their reputation, only to be cheated into a trap.  How do you think him or her will look in front of those clients?  Do not risk it!  Know as much as possible about whom you are referring, and equally, never give good referrals to people you know cannot refer with integrity.

On the other hand, some people believe that because they have been referred they can do anything they want, harming themselves and those who referred them due to their recklessness.  Remember that word-of-mouth always works, be it in your favor or against you.  Never assume you will get a special treatment just because you were referred, you can seriously damage the relationship between the person who referred you and the third party, without mentioning your own.

It can’t be clearer; everyone involved in the referral circle is under close scrutiny.  Whatever anyone says or displays conveys a message.  It is very easy to pinpoint a dishonest and unprofessional person, however, the harm is already done.  Word-of-mouth is associated with your image; the true professional is honest and dedicated in every area of his or her life.

Even for solid professionals, sometimes word-of-mouth is not the right way to go.  Good business networking demands time and personal involvement, thus, if you cannot give it the care it needs, it is better to stick to other conventional advertising media and marketing strategies, and not risk moving to the dark side of business.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

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In business, as well as in life, having an abundance mentality will get you far ahead.  Despite what many believe, referrals are everywhere.  Some professionals think these are difficult to get and that it requires a lot of work to find a good referral source, and this is actually true in their case, because they have a scarcity mentality.  These professionals fall prey to desperation when hunting for business, and this is not an attractive way to present yourself and your products or services.

Doing business involves competing.  Within a given business networking group, you have to earn quality referrals.  You must work to create relationships starting from scratch; you must open yourself to other members so that they can get to know you and your work; you must act in a way that conveys trust so that the people there feel confident that you will deliver once they refer you.  These professionals already have solid relationships that they will not risk by referring just anyone.

However, the fact that previous business relationships exist doesn’t mean the doors are closed for you to get good referrals; it is just a matter of having an abundance mentality, and you will be able to see the huge business potential out there for you and others in your industry.  In fact, there is room to compete and collaborate with others.

For example, let’s say you own a pet grooming service and among your networking group there is a member who has a relationship with a grooming professional that is not present.  You don’t simply approach this person and offer your service even though you know she is already in a business relationship with another person.  This will immediately label you as an opportunist. Not good!  Nevertheless, you know this member is involved with the field and may know other people that could need your services, so may can approach her, introduce yourself and ask her what the other pet groomer does that is so good.  Ask her if he specializes in a certain type of grooming or service, and finally ask her to introduce you to that person.  If he specializes in one area, tell him that you specialize in another one, and offer to refer cases to him.  Propose that the two of you refer overflow patients to each other and help each other during holidays or vacations.  You are still competitors, but are also helping each other.

Even if you both have the same specialty, you may benefit.  Perhaps his service is located in the other side of town, so you can join forces to get to everyone within the area serviced.

A successful and healthy business networking practice gives you an abundance mentality.  There are lots of opportunities out there for those who think positively and are open to creating valuable relationships from a win-win perspective.

Referrals do not fall from the sky.  You can’t expect to join a group and get referrals just because.  This will get you nowhere, and this is when you start having scarcity mentality, by believing that getting referrals is difficult.

There is room for everyone, because the world is abundant and business is abundant… for those who know where and how to look.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.meetingwave.com as the original source).

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