Networking and the Art of Business Development

Every piece of paid work I have ever gotten as a consultant was the result of some form of networking. I've gotten a few expressions of interest and requests for proposals from people finding me on the Internet and elsewhere, but it has never yet translated into a paying gig.

If that's not a reason to be a good networker, I don't know what is.

While networking is more fun than cold-calling, it's still a lot of work and quite uncertain. You can never tell in advance if an event is going to be a good networking opportunity, and you can never tell who you will meet and who will or won't be a good referral source or a possible new client. You just have to wade in and give it your best shot.

I've obviously been pretty good at networking over the years, but I could always be better. With the uncertain economy, myself and many others are seeing networking as a way to refill the business pipeline and search for new business development opportunities.

Someone who is way ahead of me in the networking game is Elke Heiss, vice president of Sterling Communications, a high-tech PR firm. Elke goes to lots of industry events all the time, trolling for potential clients and new contacts. Elke has had consistent success using networking to gain new clients, including Think London, Clickability, Harris Broadcast and Telestream.

She recently blogged about her techniques over at Sterling's blog, Gearheads. You'll have to head over there to get all her advice, but here are some highlights:

• Business networking is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other business people and potential clients and/or customers. The key phrase here is mutually beneficial.


• Don't sell. People who are more focused on handing out their business cards than in having a meaningful conversations are usually a real turn off. While your main short-term objective may be to uncover new business leads, keep in mind that your ultimate objective is to build long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships. Show sincere interest in the other person and try to add value where you can.


• Build long-lasting relationships. In order to keep the lines of communication open and stay top of mind long after the event is over, it’s important to have a stay-in touch plan.  Research has shown that you need to connect with people at least 6 to 9 times to build a long-lasting relationship. Find opportunities to add value and make your prospects' jobs easier. Send congratulatory notes, share industry tidbits, schedule lunches, or meet for coffee on a quarterly basis, and arrange to catch up at future industry events.