We've all heard the familiar saying - "it's not what you know, it's who you know”.

Talent and hard work are obviously crucial ingredients to business success but so is having the right connections to open doors to new opportunities, insights, and growth.  Best way to build these connections - effective networking.
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Effective networking is a bit of an artform.  It goes far beyond simply swapping business cards or adding people to your LinkedIn.  When done right, networking is about creating authentic relationships built on mutual support, trust, and value creation.
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So, what are the secrets to making connections that truly “spark”?  Here are a few networking tips from the pros:

1. Give first
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Making insightful introductions or sharing helpful resources, with no strings attached.  Come from a place of generosity and the rest will follow.  The mantra is you have to give to get.

2. Ask better questions and skip the surface-level small talk
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Ask great questions that allow you to truly understand someone and their unique business challenges, interests, and goals.  Get curious about their story.  The best connectors listen much more than they speak.  You never know what you will earn that you can use for yourself by listening.

3. Have your own story and be memorable
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If you just sit and listen, you won’t build a connection.  Know and express your story too but in an authentic and non-intrusive way.  That might be the elevator pitch for you and your business, or it might be your ‘why’.  Don’t miss opportunities to get your message across too but don’t overawe the conversation and be known as the one who always relates it back to them. A great non-intrusive way to show what you are about is anecdotal stories about what you and your business have done.

4. Follow up
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Meeting someone once means little if you don't put in effort afterwards. Networking is an ongoing process of keeping in touch, sharing useful information, and being genuinely helpful over time to one another.  Schedule times to reconnect and keep your name present.
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So, let’s get to one of the most common obstacles when it comes to networking which is simply not having enough time.
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As a business owner or leader, your days are crammed with meetings, calls, emails, decision-making, and putting out fires with little time left to nurture new connections. This "too busy" mindset is ultimately counterproductive. Prioritising relationship-building should be viewed as an investment, not unlike investing in professional development or marketing.  The benefits of tapping into the right network extends far beyond any time required.
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Consider the potential upsides of investing in your connections:

· New Business Opportunities: word-of-mouth referrals from a strong network generate some of the best-fit customers.  You will uncover partnership potentials and business opportunities you would otherwise likely never know.  But it has to be a two-way street of making connections and being a connector yourself.

· Recruitment: hiring top talent is hard.  Having a healthy network provides connections to access high-quality candidates and like-minded/right-fit people for your team.  Your connections can either help you find the right person or vouch for someone, so you don’t make bad decision.

· Support: every leader experiences setbacks and hurdles at some point.  During tough times it pays to have an invested supportive network to provide an outside perspective, advice on next steps, encouragement to press on, or even just lend an empathetic ear.

· Personal Growth and Accountability: stepping out of your business bubble through networking helps you continue evolving.  You can build relationships where you will receive honest feedback to develop not only yourself but also your business and also to course correct.  Sharing your goals out loud alongside respected connections creates a sense of accountability.
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When you add up all the potential advantages - revenue generation, idea flow, hiring assets, overcoming difficulties, and accelerating your own growth - can you really afford to dismiss networking as "too time consuming?"
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The key is being strategic and intentional.  Prioritise networking objectives like you would any other task within your work responsibility.  The impacts of a cultivated network compound substantially over time, leading to recurring returns that provide enduring value.
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Those relationships, nurtured over the long haul, could very well become your most valuable assets.  It all starts from approaching someone to network and the best part is they are nervous and don’t want to be there either, so you aren’t alone.

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