The Value of Networking

Last week, myself and some of my colleagues exhibited on behalf of the CIM at the Kent 2020 Vision conference and exhibition.  Whilst there I got to thinking about the importance of networking.

For those readers who’ve either never heard of the Kent 2020 Vision exhibition, or who’ve never been, it is the largest B2B show in the South-East and this year had approximately 4,000 visitors and around 1.5 miles of exhibition space containing companies from almost every sector.  The beauty of it was that everyone who was present was there to do one thing – business.  Whether this was by meeting people in the same sector, selling products or just exchanging ideas it all boiled down to the same thing.

Many people, myself included, find that networking does not come naturally.   It is however a vital business skill and therefore needs to be mastered, or at least something that you feel comfortable with.  An effective network of contacts can not only provide you or your company with new opportunities, but may also open you up to new ideas and potentially solve some problems you’ve been facing.

To network effectively though you need to be prepared to give as well as receive.   The more you are able to help any contacts you make with information or by referring them onto someone else, the more you’ll be remembered and your opinion sought.   Remember, you’re building relationships for the long term and therefore must be seen as genuine and trustworthy.

There are, as you would expect, a number of different groups committed to networking, as well as internet sites such as LinkedIn.  If you haven’t already built your profile on LinkedIn I’d recommend you do, and also while you’re at it, why not join the CIM Kent group?  Branch events are also another great place to meet likeminded individuals and the CIM also has a number of Market Interest Groups committed to professionals working in a particular sector.

Finally, don’t forget that you don’t just have to network with your peers and fellow professionals.  By networking with your customers you not only build up loyalty and mutual respect, you also get to find out what their issues are and how your products/services may need to be adapted to solve them.  That for me is the beauty of exhibitions such as Kent 2020 Vision – a lot of your customers and contacts are all in the same room, meaning that your one day out of the office is potentially more productive than the other four days in it.  As a colleague of mine once said “you’ll never find new customers by sitting in your office”.

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