Fight the fear: How to make business networking work for you

Andy Lopata, a speaker at this year's Sage World small business conference, explains why entrepreneurs are often scared of networking and advises how to beat those fears and massively boost your company.

In a New York Times survey of people's greatest fears, death came third. The top two fears were walking into a room full of strangers and speaking in public – a fact which makes Andy Lopata's job that much harder. Once dubbed 'Mr Network' by The Sun, Lopata's business is helping professionals overcome these fears and drive their businesses through networking.

The most common misconception about networking, explains Lopata, is that it’s just another word for sales.

"Networking isn't selling; there's a strong perception that you go to networking events to sell as hard as you can and find clients. That's not how it works. Occasionally you might meet someone who later becomes a customer, but the majority are there to sell themselves - so I can't think of a worse place to try and sell because no one's there to buy."

Networking is, in fact, about just that: creating a network of like-minded professionals. "It’s about building relationships – finding people with whom you have a rapport and adding them to your network. It's your network that provides you with business in the long term," explains Lopata.

"Think about it this way: would you rather meet someone at a networking event and sell to them once, or meet them and never sell to them, but be referred by them five or 10 times?"

One of the things many entrepreneurs find difficult about networking is not being able to measure whether they are getting a good return on investment on their networking time. Unlike other business activities, the key performance indicators (KPIs) of networking are not always clear.

"Many people attend networking events simply because they're invited, but don't think strategically about what they actually want to get out of it. This often leads to them walking away complaining it's been a waste of time, without them ever really knowing what they were there for in the first place.

"There are three main reasons businesses network. It pays to focus on the combination most suitable for you and which networking events will drive that particular return, which will in turn guide you on what to measure."

The three reasons are:

• To raise your businesses’ profile
• To become better equipped – either as an individual in terms of up-skilling and learning from people who have already been through the journey you're on, or as a business you might use it for market research and look for ideas/feedback
• To become better connected and generate referrals

Networking faux pas
One question you should avoid when networking is the most obvious, 'what do you do?', says Lopata. "This is the networking equivalent of 'do you come here often'! People only ask it as an ice breaker and don't care about the answer. It's a common dance that people get involved in and basically involves each party presenting an 'elevator pitch' (i.e. a 30-second presentation on their business), shaking hands, exchanging cards and then walking away, possibly never to speak again.

"Instead of doing this, it's much better to try and engage them in a genuine conversation and find some common ground. One good way of doing this is finding out what brought them to the event and whether they know anyone else in the room."

One of the other reasons people say they hate networking is the perception that it's somehow manipulative. "The way to get around this idea is to look to help others before helping yourself. Think about the people you're closest to in your network. If those people needed your help, would you be willing to give it? Try to build relationships so they feel that way about you. It's a two-way process."

Reaching out
In the current economic climate, many entrepreneurs are worrying about whether they can grow their businesses and indeed, whether their business will survive. Those that do survive and thrive will be those that reach out and turn to others for help, whether that's with building their profile, getting support for their ideas and feedback, or getting referrals. "Whatever your aims, you're not going to do it alone. That's an important thing for entrepreneurs to remember."

Businesses that are looking to reach out should ensure they have a strategy in place to make the most of their efforts. "Think about what you want to achieve, what you're investing into it and what a successful return looks like, and make it a serious part of the business approach – don't just think about it as drinks after work."

Andy Loapta is speaking at Sage World 2010, a free event for business owners, directors and entrepreneurs offering practical advice on all aspects of maintaining and growing a business, on 8–9 September at The International Centre in Telford. To find out more about the event and reserve your free ticket, visit www.sageworld2010.co.uk

Andy Lopata is a business networking strategist and author of ‘And death came third: The definitive guide to networking and speaking in public’. Read Andy's blog at www.lopata.co.uk/blog