In the first of a series of articles on getting business going and moving South Africa forward, we are going to focus on the importance of networking.
This extremely important function is something we all are capable of doing, but we are not doing it well enough.
People will always do business with those they know, like and trust first. Chances are you are in business or a career that you are trying to grow but are unsure about how to do that.
The bookshelves are full of “How to do” guides, DVDs and CDs. Perhaps you have even listened to a few of those big name motivational speakers and been left thinking: That is not me; my personality is nothing like theirs. Perhaps you have investigated a business opportunity and your money or time fell far short of the required investment.
Do you have to contort yourself into some kind of high-powered sales personality that really isn’t you? Do you somehow have to find a large amount of start-up capital before you can succeed?
No, you don’t have to do either and you don’t need to change your personality or have a huge bank account. Just do what you do every day and use your existing connections in your network.
Thus, become a committed networker.
Since the day you were born you have been building an amazingly powerful network of relationships which include your family and friends, but more than that, they include your former teachers, co-workers, neighbours, clergy, casual acquaintances, customers, the dry cleaners, the shopkeepers, the bus driver, taxi driver, the mechanic who services your car, the restaurant waiter, the nail technician – everyone you come into contact with.
Chances are that if your car is out of a motor plan and you need to have the car serviced, you are going to go to the person who was recommended to you. That’s networking. The power of networking means you utilise all the connections you have. Soon you will come to realise that your net worth is the product of your network.
Technology has made it possible for us to make contact without personal connection anywhere in the world.
In South Africa we have Markinor, which is a survey company, and in the United States they have Gallup.
Gallup ascertains that each and every one of us knows at least 240 people or more. If you don’t believe this finding, then look at your cellphone contact list or your email contact list.
How many names do you have? Just let someone in your family get married and suddenly you find yourself excluding people rather than inviting them because the list is too long.
Take the 240+ names you know and multiply that by 240+ for each of the names in your network and you will suddenly see that you have access to over 57 600 people.
That is a lot of people.
Your net worth equals your network, so get working on your network today. Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do lies within your network or your network’s network.
In order to get there, you are going to have to network, and you do this by talking to people and to friends. If you do this, you are networking.
The next article will be on Scarcity and Abundance.
This article was compiled by Derek Fox, the chief executive officer of the Aerotroplis Chamber of Commerce in Boksburg. He may be contacted on 082 886 0651.
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