Why are YOU networking? - 1

Okay, it might seem a daft question at first glance, but it's maybe not quite so daft when you think about it a bit deeper.

This is a lovely vignette that Phil Gosling (a respected British Home Publishing expert) uses to demonstrate the need to be a little clearer about what we actually want. Picture a scene in a travel agency, if you will…

Customer: “I want to go somewhere warm and sunny.”

Agent: “Certainly, sir. Where do you particularly fancy?”

Customer: “Oh, I haven’t really thought about it, as long as it’s warm and sunny…”

Agent: “And when were you thinking of going?”

Customer: “I don’t really know, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s warm and sunny while I’m there…”

Let’s stop it there since we can probably all see that they’re getting nowhere fast which, of course, is his point. So let’s go back to the question about why you are networking:

If your spontaneous answer was to ‘get more business’ or 'find a job' maybe now’s a good time to try being more specific and focus on your purpose because “warm and sunny” isn't likely to get you the outcomes you want.

Extracted from Opening Doors