Written by Anthony Demangone
I am not a great networker.At least out of the office.Internally, I do a decent job of making and maintaining relationships within NAFCU's walls. But outside, I could do a much better job.
Reading thisarticlereally drove home that point. In "Never Say No to Networking," Kathryn Minshew makes some important points.
The best networking suggestion I can offer?Always say yes to invitations, even if it's not clear what you'll get out of the meeting.I'm not arguing for long, pointless, unstructured conversations with everyone you meet. But many of my most fruitful relationships have resulted from a meeting or call in which I was not entirely sure what would or would not come of the conversation.
You could call itmaking your own luck, by increasing the odds of making the right connection. Because you can't assume that you know much about someone you don't know very well. You may know their occupation, industry, and job title — but you don't know what they may be an expert in, and you certainly don't know who they know.
She acknowledges that it isn't easy.
