Networking Tips #36 Does it work?

I often get asked what I get from networking or if it really works.

If you've read through the rest of the series of networking tips then you'll already know the answer.

Yet I still meet people at networking events who expect to come along to a meeting and gain business - instantly!  Not surprisingly - they probably won't return when they're disappointed.

Yes it does work but like anything - you get out of it what you put in.  The more active and engaged you are, the more you'll achieve.

It's all about sowing seeds and growing relationships - keep them fed and watered to see them grow and bear fruit.

I've connected with people and businesses that have provided my business with products and services as well as those who have become clients.

Put in a little time and effort (in a measured and balanced way) and you may be pleasantly surprised.

What are your experiences of networking?

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you lucky or unlucky?

Watching Derren Brown's The Secret of Luck on TV at the weekend and a thought provoking programme about how essentially, we make our own luck.

Full of Derren's usual mix of psychology, illusion and showmanship it's basic premise was - Luck comes down to being open to new opportunities.

It's not that one person is necessarily luckier than another just that they are more likely to have a positive outlook on life and are more likely to take advantage of the opportunities that come their way.

To paraphrase another quote - "if you believe you're lucky or unlucky - you are."

One person who believed they were unlucky, managed to ignore all the opportunities presented to them, even when it was pretty obvious.  They had an expectation that they weren't lucky, therefore they interpreted their world and reacted to it in such a way that it lived up to their expectation. In the end, they took a risk, a big risk and their 'luck' changed.  Yes, this was a television programme, designed to entertain but the underlying message can be used by all of us.

Richard Wiseman, psychologist and author took a scientific approach to Luck and found that lucky people follow four basic principles:

• They are skilled at creating and seeing opportunities.
• They use their intuition when making decisions.
• They have a more positive expectation
• Are more resilient and turn bad luck into good.

Lucky people are more open and relaxed about life.  They're more self-aware and their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for their 'luck'.  Being more intuitive, they pay attention to their feelings - most of us ignore our intuition but we should pay attention to it more often.

Opportunity and 'chances' present themselves all the time, lucky people are less focused on just one objective and so are more likely to see them when it's not exactly what they're looking for, rather than unlucky people who don't recognise the opportunities, even when they're right in front of them.

“I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it” - Thomas Jefferson

So if you'd like to have more luck in your life - believe you are, walk around with your eyes open, say yes, more often and see what changes.

1926 US advertisement "Why Be Unlucky?". (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What are you putting off?

If you have a tendency to put things off or leave things to the last minute, don't worry - you're not alone.

We all do it and for various reasons. Understand what those reasons are and you're more likely to be able to come up with a solution. Dig down to understand what you're resisting or what's causing you to put off a particular task and it can become much easier to tackle.

Sometimes it's a result of getting in our own way and surprisingly it can even be our sense of perfectionism that stops us moving forward. Wanting to get it right first time or not wanting to make a mistake.

If you have clear goals and your focused on what you need to do you're less likely to procrastinate!

Here are a few ideas to keep you on track:

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How to keep a meeting to time.

How often have you experienced this situation?  You've arranged a meeting for an hour and then the meeting somehow manages to run on for another half hour or sometimes longer.

You don't want to be rude or call a halt at a critical point, so what's the best way to handle it?

• Set the duration up front.  Make it clear that the meeting will only last a set amount of time.
• Have an agenda and stick to it.  Get it back on track if you start to get diverted.
• If the person turns up late - the end time doesn't have to change to accommodate their lateness!
• If you have another commitment that follows on from your meeting, mention this at the start of the meeting or when you schedule it.
• If it's clear the meeting is going to run over - agree to either cover the important points so that you can still finish on time or set another meeting if it's justified.
• Ten minutes before the meeting is due to end, begin to summarise and clarify any agreed actions. (Set an audible reminder or an alarm if it helps).
• Allow the right amount of time to start with.  If you set an hour but always run over - make it 90 minutes or two hours next time.

Get into the habit of scheduling your meetings with a little extra time either side.  If a meeting does overrun then you won't be rushing to the next one.

Make your meetings a more productive use of your time rather than a source of frustration and wasted time.

Short Meeting (Photo credit: Accretion Disc)

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