Why Networking Doesn't Work for Everyone

why networking doesn't work for everybody hello and welcome have you ever felt like networking was a waste of your time and your energy or maybe you feel like you don't get enough out of it in the vast SE of professional development networking events stand out as promising guidance and opportunities hi I'm Yana henan founder of we enco and today we're diving into why networking doesn't work out for everyone and how you can do it better more efficiently and more effectively so that you open yourself up to more opportunities the pitfalls of professional networking number one lack of strategy imagine walking into a networking event you're scanning the room with your eyes looking for potential clients having a good time and by the time uh it all wraps up you haven't gotten anything out of it well without a strategy how would you navigate such an event I knew a Freel graphic designer who attended a lot of these kind of networking events he was hoping to expand his client base however he didn't have a clear strategy on who he wanted to meet and how he was going to approach them he often left these events uh with nothing more than having a few snacks in his belly and no real Eads the lesson here is if you go into a networking event without a strategy it turns into more like socializing you might move around but not necessarily forward in your business so have a strategy number two an unclear target audience knowing your Niche target audience is crucial Monica my beloved hair stylist she is great at this she knows who she wants to meet she knows what she's going to do at every networking event and that's why she's so successful as a hair stylist she doesn't go around in a networking event and say you have hair so you're my target audience not at all whenever she's meeting people she says specialize in the 55 plus realm I also work with patients going through chemotherapy and radiation and in fact I'm willing to go into their home and cut and style their hair now her Niche is not anyone with hair that's what a new hair stylist would say she loves working with the 55 plus Community doesn't mean that she won't see people like me or my friends it just means that's who she's looking for keep in mind everybody's mind is like a rol a deck or Google or jujul as my family calls it when you juul something like people with hair you're going to come up with all everyone that has hair but when you ask and prompt Google people in Springfield Missouri in the 55 plus Community that's going through chemotherapy radiation or are just 55 plus you're going to narrow that down the same works with people when you ask them the right questions or when you tell them what you're looking for in the right way they will come up with contacts and referrals right on the spot do not go to a networking event and say I'm looking for anyone with hair it just our mind just goes cannot compute hey I'm looking for people in the 55 plus Community oh my mom my grandma oh uh my auntie your your mind just starts to go to work on it make sense so the key takeaway is understanding your Niche yes my ideal referral for weano is any professional who is three things humble hungry and smart but when I say hey I'm looking for roofers in the Bentonville area or I'm looking for a real estate office in the Jefferson City area people now now the brains have been triggered now they're starting to go through that mental Rolodex okay that's the takeaway know your Niche target audience number three another problem people do when they go to a networking event is they ignore linear Industries or tangent Industries whatever networking is not just about finding those direct clients it's about building relationships with those in adjacent Industries for instance a real estate agent like Katherine who's great by the way she's our realtor she realized that if she goes to a networking event and she's just looking for people who are looking to buy or sell or whatever downsize upsize she knew that that's probably not going to happen so what did she do she goes around she looks for those more mortgage lenders she looks for Home Insurance Specialists she looks for title industry professionals she's looking for handymen and roofers and floorers and home inspectors she knows that if she builds a strong relationship with these people not only will she get more money out of it but she could probably pass referrals to them too then you create like your little Co-op you're it's a nice little what we call a huddle in we andco that's exactly what a huddle is you want a realtor a mortgage lender you want a roofer a floorer you want a handyman you want a title specialist you want Insurance you want anything tangent to the real estate market so again networking is not just about finding clients it's about finding those Professionals in linear or tangent Industries to your own and by the way good job Katherine so without a clear strategy understanding your target audience and knowledge of complimentary tangent Industries networking can feel like a colossal waste of time it's not just about showing up it's showing up with purpose and Direction and an open mind in conclusion professional networking is a powerful tool but only when it's used rightly your challenge before your next networking event ask yourself what's my networking strategy who is my target audience which tangent industry professional should I introduce myself to if you ask ask yourself these questions and understand before you go to that networking event like hey I need to know what I'm doing and why I'm there you're going to be successful if you just show up just to meet people and hopefully meet clients that's not a strategy and it's probably not going to work I'm Yana henan Here to remind you that with the right strategy every networking event is an opportunity to get closer to your professional goals here's to making your networking efforts actually count and as always please subscribe to our social channels have to look good for these darn videos getting out of my comfort zone