Google “how to network,” what do you find?
You find, Forbes, Inc, WSJ, Business Insider, WikiHow, and maybe a YouTube video or two. They all say the same thing – how important networking is to maintaining your business relationships, how to use LinkedIn, approach contacts, set up meetings, write emails, get an introduction, and the list goes on. We know most of these things and what to do, but it doesn’t mean we know how to do them.
Networking to me is like starting to play a new sport. When I started learning tennis for the first time, I tried self-directed learning. Before going out on the court, I watched ESPN and read all about proper tennis techniques and how-to’s. I could conceptualize exactly what I needed to do when I hit the ball, but every time I tried to put all those words into action, it just didn’t happen. The problem was I knew what to do but not how to do it. Finally, I gave in and took a lesson. The lesson broke down every step of the swing into digestible actions and helped me focus on one move at a time. And, unexpectedly, I became more motivated as my time to master the swing was limited to one hour with my instructor.
This is what Mike and I want for networking. We created a tool, Network to Success, to go above and beyond the tips and tricks and to provide the structure, motivation, and instruction to be a successful networker. Network to Success is your “tennis coach” for networking, walking you through the process one-step at a time. It’s a tool that provides focus, motivation, and optimization.
Focus: Organizes and structures your contacts into a prioritized, targeted list.
Motivation: Sets a timeframe for your networking goals. Then creates a quantifiable framework for you to achieve them by associating point values to your daily and weekly business activities.
Optimization: Built-in real-time analytics show you exactly where to improve.
More than this, our vision for Network to Success is to de-stigmatize networking from its common connotation of social climbing and applaud it in it’s more appropriate form of personal and professional achievement.