Effective networking. ACA training webinar by Bob Griffiths, RGA services 20 September 2011 BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE. icaew.com

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1 Effective networking ACA training webinar by Bob Griffiths, RGA services 20 September 2011

2 Bob Griffiths ICAEW Chartered Accountant Over 20 years experience as a personal and business coach Proven track record of helping others develop their interpersonal skills Able to work at senior level up to Boards and CEOs Mentor for the F-TEN programme for ICAEW members who want to reach FD positions

3 What we will cover What is networking Why should we network? Why are people afraid of networking? Who to network with How to do is successfully What skills do you need to network? What results you can expect

4 Exercise What goes through your mind when you hear the word networking' Do you see it as a fun and natural thing to do which can create opportunities in business and life generally? Or do you see it as something difficult and artificial which requires you to act in a way you don't like?

5 What is networking? Networking is the process of establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with other people, potential clients and/or customers

6 Why should we bother to network? In modern societies, it is easy to be connected to lots of people If you do not embrace networking, you are missing out on one of the most powerful ways of achieving what you want You can make contacts and have experiences that you would never be able to if you did not network It can be fun - honestly!

7 Why are so many people scared of networking? Common concerns about networking are: That it is a hard and ruthless process It is manipulative of others It is potentially embarrassing Others will not want to help I am just not a networking type of person

8 An alternative view of networking Networking can be an opportunity to: Contribute to others Have contact with senior levels Have access to information others do not know Raise your profile within any organisation Get yourself ahead of the game in many areas Networking has contributed enormously to my life and career

9 Who to network with (1) Family members Friends Parents, sons and daughters of friends Neighbours Social acquaintances Classmates and teachers Current and former colleagues

10 Who to network with (2) Current and former bosses Shop owners Members of professional and social clubs Religious leaders, congregation members Outside people you have dealt with in your work Sports clubs Voluntary organisations Other professionals you interact with

11 Exercise Attempt this without thinking too much! Take a sheet of paper and write down at least 100 names of people you could network with. Try not to censor the list, but as you think of people just write them down. Think of the previous slides. You do not have to know their exact names or how you would find them.

12 Who to network with contd. Once you have your 100 names sort them according to: Relevance who might be the most likely to know about something you are interested in Chemistry how well you get on with the person

13 But these people don t know anyone who could be helpful to me This is a common defence against asking for help The simple fact is: Until you ask you don t know who your contacts know and you certainly don t know who their contacts know

14 The networking rules Some simple rules to help you network easily and effectively

15 Build relationships People do business with those they: Like this is all about building rapport and getting on well Trust mutually beneficial relationships must be built on trust Value it s important to build value in the eyes of others

16 Develop conversation skills Learn to ask open-ended questions which the person can t answer with a yes or no eg, How did you get your business? What do you enjoy / not enjoy about the work? Listen carefully to the answer your ability to listen is one of the most important skills to have, and it will really benefit you to develop

17 Find out what the other person wants If you find out what the other person wants, you can see if you can help them. You cannot guarantee that if you help someone they will help you back but reciprocity is a very powerful emotion and often works Take note of their interests and concerns so you can ask them about them when you follow-up BE INTERESTED

18 Think longer-term Become a farmer not a hunter! Networking is a long-term activity Think what can I do for this person? NOT what s in it for me?

19 Build trust gradually Learn to trust people you network with Build trust gradually when you refer people to your contacts If you start to trust them, then they respond by trusting you

20 Be bold don t do what everyone else does Be aware of you inner dialogue. Are you saying to yourself: This person doesn t want to talk to me They will not be interested They won t be able to help me Never talk to strangers Remember: Until you start a conversation, you already have a no. By starting a conversation, you could get a yes but only if you put yourself forward

21 Starting conversations Offer a low-risk opener This is a safe and impersonal question, not probing or too personal but interesting and informative eg, How did you find the presentation? I had the most tortuous journey to get here. How about you? What sort of field are you in? How has your day been so far? Could I join you? Have you been to one of these events before?

22 Continuing conversations Show interest with empathy, alertness, and reflection How did you get into that? That must be very difficult how do you handle it? Ask open questions for clarification and encouragement That s very interesting do tell me more How do you manage to handle it all? Be aware of your own body language signals Be open Stand at an appropriate distance Show you are listening

23 Continuing conversations contd. Use gently, appropriate disclosure eg, I had a similar thing happen to me My daughter suffers from a similar condition Seek shared interest / common ground eg, I have an article on how to deal with that if you are interested? I am planning to go to the same meeting too

24 Continuing conversations contd. Create a springboard for future relationships eg, Would you like to keep in touch. I sometimes hear about opportunities to. I have some people coming over to talk about that on this date. Would you like to join us?

25 E-networking the short version Why bother with it? It liberates you from the constraints of distance and time You can contact people more easily than by phone or letter You can contact people you would not normally be able to see No one has any preconceptions about you It enables people who don t like face-to-face networking to make contacts / find out information

26 E-networking the short version Which sites to use: linkedin.com an excellent corporate contact platform, especially useful for senior level individuals. Superb integrated job search function plaxo.com similar to Linkedin but smaller. Has just added a section on building your career with some free online tools ecademy.com the best functionality, and the most successful non-us based platform. Excellent club networking opportunities zoominfo.com a great way to track those we ve worked with who have web presence because it produces a ready-made profile ryze.com another good business orientated social network

27 Less business-orientated sites facebook.com probably taken over as the primary social networking site. Valuable for finding people and seeing their interests twitter.com there has been a phenomenal rise in the number of people using twitter to explore ideas and make new contacts tribe.net a useful site for tracking people who have a similar interest

28 Next steps Webinar recording, presentation and Q&A will be available in about 48 hours time at /studentcommunity and /acawebinars Client relationship skills 19 October 2011 Assertiveness and Influence 22 November 2011 Register at /acawebinars Practical guides, articles and books at ICAEW Library s subject gateway on networking /library

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